Well, howdy there! Let’s talk about them football stadiums, the ones with the fancy roofs, you know, the domes! Folks been askin’, how many NFL teams got themselves one of them dome thingamajigs? Let me tell ya, it ain’t as simple as countin’ yer chickens.
Now, some folks say a dome is a dome, and that’s that. But then you got these newfangled roofs that open and close, kinda like a turtle head, ya know? So, it gets a bit confusin’.
The Real Dome Deals
If you’re talkin’ ’bout them true-blue, ain’t-nothin’-movin’ domes, well, there ain’t a whole heap of ’em. I reckon there’s just four of them left. The granddaddy of ’em all is down in New Orleans, that Superdome place. They built that thing way back in 1975, imagine that! Folks been watchin’ football in that big ol’ bowl for ages. Then you got that Ford Field up in Detroit, built in 2002, not too shabby. And that fancy U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota, that one’s newer, from 2016 I think. Lastly, the new kid on the block, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, opened up in 2020, all shiny and new.
The Roof-Movin’ Crowd
Now, if you wanna count them stadiums with the roofs that go back and forth, well, that’s a whole different story. See, there’s more of them. Some folks say there’s ten stadiums with some kinda roof, and five of them can open up. That AT&T Stadium down in Texas, that’s a big one. They say it can hold over a hundred thousand folks! Can you believe that? That’s like the whole town gatherin’ for a football game! But that one ain’t a true dome, see? The roof can open.
Then there’s that place in Houston, the NRG Stadium. They used to call it Reliant Stadium. That one was the first NFL place to have a roof that could move. Built it back in 2002, same year as that Detroit place. Cost a pretty penny too, they say, over 350 million dollars! That’s more money than I’ve seen in my whole life, I tell ya!
- The Oldest Dome: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, 1975)
- Some Other Domes: Ford Field (Detroit, 2002), U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota, 2016), Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, 2020)
- Big Stadium with a Fancy Roof: AT&T Stadium (Texas, roof can open)
- First with a Movable Roof: NRG Stadium (Houston, 2002)
And don’t forget them fellas out in Los Angeles. They got themselves a new stadium too, opened in 2020. Fixed roof, they say. That’s where them Rams and Chargers play. So, you see, it all depends on how you count ’em. True domes? Not many. Stadiums with some kinda roof? More than you think.
So, How Many? Depends on Who You Ask!
So, if someone asks you how many NFL teams got a dome, you gotta ask ’em, “What kind of dome you talkin’ ’bout?” If they mean a real, honest-to-goodness dome, you tell ’em four. If they mean any kinda roof, you tell ’em maybe ten. It ain’t rocket science, but it ain’t exactly easy pickin’s either.
Anyways, that’s the way I see it. These football fellas, they sure do like their fancy stadiums. Me? I’m happy watchin’ from my couch. Less crowded, and the snacks are cheaper!
Tags: [NFL, domes, stadiums, football, teams, retractable roofs, AT&T Stadium, Superdome, Ford Field, U.S. Bank Stadium, Allegiant Stadium, NRG Stadium]
