It was an almost perfect day for #ncaamlax at Lincoln Financial Field. Warm, but not overbearing with a breeze.
Here is what I saw and heard with some comparison to other games/venues (Mostly off the turf):
Lincoln Financial Field brings a professional ambiance to the game. The sound system is incredible and adds to the game drama. There was a charismatic announcer setting the grand stage and welcoming fans to the event. The giant score board showed replays and lots of game stats, which were missing at the Navy quarterfinals. There were ample bathrooms and concessions. My water was $9.
Notre Dame fans were having a lot of fun quarters in 1, 2, and 4. The crowd vibe changed in quarter 3 with Duke’s come back. You can feel momentum in the stands.
The referees need microphones so those in the stadium can hear what calls they are making. The TV broadcast showed the referees explaining their calls for the viewing audience. There were some referee calls where the crowd didn’t know what was being called. You could hear people asking what was the ref's call?
There were (literal) fireworks to kick the game off.
First row seats at the Navy Marine Corps stadium, where one of the quarterfinals were played, are closer to the game field than Lincoln Financial Field, but Lincoln Financial Field has more bells and whistles.
Notre Dame brought a ND flag waving leprechaun. There were no other cheerleaders or dance teams.
The iconic Notre Dame fight song was not played by a band, but by the sound system.
Duke fans were outnumbered, but the Blue Devil section was clad in royal blue shirts, which made their section pop out.
Duke has helmets with their campus chapel on it. Notre Dame wore their iconic gold helmets.
There was a half time show. It was a military band. They were hard to hear. Speakers are needed to amplify the sound from the field. Airplanes from Philadelphia International Airport were almost as loud.
The attendance was 30,462. Lincoln Financial Field seats 69,796. When you are at the bottom, it feels mostly full until you look up at the upper decks.
Prepaid parking was listed at $83 online the night before the game, but parking could be found for $25 on game day.
This is the second highest attendance since 2012. From 2004 to 2009, all Finals’ crowds were over 40,000.
This is the second time the mens lacrosse champion was not from an Atlantic Ocean bordering state state. Denver won in 2015. This is good for the game.
This is the first time one of the true elite college football programs has won it all.
The winners of the mens and womens lacrosse Championships were from programs Indiana and Illinois (Northwestern).
Bottom line: This was a fun day with a good game day experience. I hope to be back to Philadelphia next year. I wish the NCAA season wasn’t over just as the weather is consistently good. It is PLL time. As good as it was, there remain things to work on for Lacrosse to attract maximum crowds and bring the elements that top level NCAA football and basketball games have on game day.
Notre Dame winning it all and charging the field video.
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