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The RCA Dome is located in the center of downtown Indianapolis. The facility is adjacent to the new
and exciting city's Wholesale District, teeming with shops, restaurants, a shopping mall and other
attractions.
Go a few blocks east and you'll find the Pacers new home, Conseco Fieldhouse. Go west
and you run right into newly opened Victory Field, home of the AAA baseball Indians, and
just a bit farther is the NCAA Hall of Fame. This city's downtown core is clean, vibrant and
alive with activity.
This being Monday Night Football, Indianapolis was jacked up, and despite a day long
rainstorm, the streets were packed with fans heading out to the restaurants and then the
game, and even the tailgaters were making the best of it under their tarps, trying to keep
the grills going and keeping dry. Tailgating is not very big here, but the best areas that lend
themselves to tailgating can be found in the open lots directly south of the stadium and on
the other side of Union Station.
After a terrific dinner and checking out some souvenir shops, we made our way into the
dome, and once inside, caught our first glimpse of a bright and airy two concourse facility.
The stadium is laid out in a lower and upper concourse, and the lower midfield sections are
designated as club seats, with access to a private lounge at floor level. A recent renovation
added a ring of suites around the lower level. There is no team merchandise store, and the
small kiosks only sell a few basic souvenirs.
The Bowl
The seating bowl is pretty non descript and ordinary, all blue seats, and very small video
boards located above each end zone. The climb to the higher seats in the upper deck was a
pretty long one. There are some support pillars ringing the top of the upper deck, meaning
that some top row seats have an obstructed view.
Concessions
Ballpark dreck and that was it. Thankfully we had a big meal before coming here. These guys
really need to upgrade their menu selection.
Event presentation
As a special occasion, the fans were asked to sing the national anthem and display their
voices as the 12th Man. No celebrity artist - no instrumental accompaniment, just an MC
singing the first few words and then letting the crowd take over singing a cappella.
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was singing, and it was actually a very emotional rendition.
The Colts do an excellent job with video clips and clever ads on their video boards. Much
of their music is oldies and classic stuff (William Tell Overture for each kickoff). They also
use a TV station to do sports updates and weather reports during the breaks, kind of like
the Sabres with their "Empire Sports Report" during the intermissions.
Yes, they did congratulate the Indianapolis Indians for winning the AAA World Series the
week before, and this was announced during a media timeout. This was met with scattered
applause. *sigh*. As in Buffalo, the football team reigns supreme and minor league baseball
is still a passion for the devotees.
Banners/retired numbers
Owner Robert Irsay's name hangs at midfield, supported by two other names from the
Indianapolis era, but that is it. This franchise's greatest moments occurred when a man
named Johnny Unitas led this team in a city called Baltimore. The folks around here act as if
life began when the moving vans pulled up in 1984.
Extra points
When we dropped by Conseco Fieldhouse, we picked up a brochure touting the new Arena
Football team - the "Indiana Firebirds". Hey, last we knew, weren't they just the Albany
Firebirds? And the AFL champs to boot! Did the moving vans also pull out of the Pepsi
Arena in Albany in the dead of night??? That would be soooo Indianapolis!
The two guys sitting in front of us were from DALLAS. Of course, we could not resist talking
"No Goal" smack throughout the night. During the anthem, we "booed" the word "Stars" the
first time, but they rebounded by shouting "Stars" on the second turn. Touche!
Summary
What better a setting than seeing NFL football in person on a Monday Night! Play Hank
William's "Are You Ready For Some Football" theme on the PA and it's like turning on a
switch. On this night, the Indianapolis experience did not disappoint. The fans were loud
and crazy, the home team rolled over the Jaguars, and we had a great time. Based on the
new NFL venues that we have seen, however, we can't help but believe that the Colts will
probably be looking for a new stadium sometime soon.
SCORING
Architecture: 3
Food and team store 2
Scoreboard and electronics 3.5
Ushers 7
Fan support 5
Location and neighborhood 7
Banners and history 5
In game entertainment 8.5
Concourses/fan comfort 3
Bonus: Tailgate scene 1, Wholesale District 2, A cappella National Anthem 1
Total 48
| RCA Dome |
#48
RCA
Dome
Indianapolis
Indiana
September
25, 2000
Jacksonville
Jaguars
at
Indianapolis
Colts
RCA
Dome
Indianapolis
Indiana
September
25, 2000
Jacksonville
Jaguars
at
Indianapolis
Colts
