Today Notre Dame will take on Army at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. This is just the latest in the recent sports trend to switch up the arenas in which to play in. For instance, the NHL has the Winter Classic where they play hockey games outdoors, the NBA also does the same thing, having some games take place outdoors in warmer climates. Now though, College Football has crossed the line. Northwestern and Illinois will be facing off at the historic Wrigley Field. The only problem is, the game is not safe for the players.
Wrigley Field is not the largest of stadiums, and when it was converted into a football field the dimensions just didn't work out. One of the end-zones is right up against the wall in the outfield. This walls are made of brick so they decided to cover the brick wall with padding. Still, not a great idea. Now you have players running full speed, and ultimately the only way to stop themselves will be to run into the wall. This wall also takes away play calling. There are certain routes that a receiver can not run because of the spacing issue. As you can see in the picture the end-zone is literally up against the wall.
Well there has been a solution to this fiasco. The two teams will now play towards the same end-zone, eliminating the safety hazard. This just turns the game into a joke, though. Now it seems more like an Arena Football game or even a back yard game. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out and if there are any stories that follow the game. I'm sure one or two people could lose their jobs because of the field issues. The only reason this idea was put into motion was because engineers deemed it safe to play. I do know one thing for certain, this will most likely be the last football game at historic Wrigley Field.
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