The old Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills', was not especially popular towards the end of its lifespan. It was cold, dreary and outdated, and overdue to be replaced.
It seemed like good news, then, when the Bills started construction on the replacement, their sparkling new $2.2 billion facility just across from the old building. They were adamant that the new construction would be a showpiece for the region, a key part of securing a record-setting taxpayer contribution from New York state. And sure enough, Highmark is loaded with new technology and supposedly thoughtful design touches.
Instead of a roof, the Bills new home retains the outdoor element that's an integral part of the NFL experience. But to protect against the elements, roughly 65% of the seats are still covered by the stadium's awning. There are infrared heaters under the seating areas to keep fans comfortable in the frigid Buffalo winters. The natural grass field is also heated, and the canopy incorporates a snow-melt system.
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All sounds great, right? Stadium designers and the team clearly thought through the details of a modern NFL stadium in the Buffalo area. Retain the outdoor character and intimate seating, but update the technology and concourses for a better fan experience.
There's just one problem: you can't actually watch the game from a number of the seat locations.
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The Bills held their return of the Red and Blue practice at Highmark on Saturday, and posts on social media started flooding in, racking up millions of views and engagements, showing the frankly inexcusable views from some seats at the new stadium.
Some have a pane of glass blurring views, including at the 50-yard-line. Some in the upper deck legitimately block most of the red zone on the far side of the field, specifically the end zone. Expensive seats, in the lower level about 30-40 rows up at the 12-13-yard line have their view of the other side of the field blocked by a standing platform.
Another post showed off how the view of a field from a higher level seat is almost completely through glass with staircase railings.
Other fans said they felt misled by Bills personnel after being assured that the railings wouldn't impede their view of the game.
That's not great!
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Some obstructed views in a modern stadium are unavoidable, and staircases always present an issue for designers trying to incorporate fan movement and pack in as many seats as possible. And at least some of those obstructed views are through mostly glass.
But then again, for the cost of these seats, the "personal seat licenses," and so on, it's not unreasonable to expect better.
Still, if Josh Allen and new head coach Joe Brady can lead the Bills to a Super Bowl, no one will be complaining that their seats weren't good enough.
