BroBible
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings played the first-ever NFL game in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday. People live within walking distance of Croke Park, the stadium at which the game was played.
The American mind could not comprehend European city planning!
A majority of the professional sporting venues in the United States are located in remote areas outside of the main metropolis hubs. Our NFL stadiums are surrounded by massive parking lots.
Sunday’s game between the Steelers and Vikings was not the first football game to be played at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. Notre Dame beat Navy by 27 in 1996. Penn State beat UCF by two in 2014.
However, it was the first NFL game.
Croke Park officially opened in 1884, more than 140 years ago. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The primary goal of the stadium was to promote and preserve traditional Irish sports like Gaelic football and hurling in a period of history where British games like soccer and rugby were growing in popularity.
Today, Croke Park not only serves as an important piece of Irish history, it hosts all kinds of different events — from Gaelic football, to concerts, to rugby and soccer, to Division-I college football, to the visit of the Pope. It also hosts the National Football League games as of Sunday.
Some Americans who made the trip were surprised by the location of the stadium.
Croke Park sits right in the middle of a residential neighborhood to the northeast of downtown Dublin.
People live within a few blocks from the main entrance.
There is a walk/run/bike path along a nearby canal with Croke Park just up the road.
Fans casually stroll through the residential streets of the Ballybough district to get to the game.
This is pretty standard practice in Europe. Croke Park is not the only professional sports venue to be located within a residential area but it is the latest example because of the NFL game on Sunday.
Croke Park’s location obviously presents a stark contrast to the United States. The vasty majority of the 32 NFL stadiums are not located anywhere near a residential neighborhood.
They are typically built in the remote outskirts of a major metropolis or in a completely different town/city all together.
Most events cannot be walked to on foot. The stadiums present logistical challenges in terms of transportation. They are surrounded by massive parking lots, not bars, restaurants, grocery stores, tailors or houses. It is a whole process to attend a game or a concert at most of the stadiums.
The American mind could never comprehend European city planning…
The post American Minds Cannot Comprehend Irish City Planning As NFL Plays In Residential Neighborhood appeared first on BroBible.
