Observational Essay

The place of hopes, dreams, and failures. A place that some may call home while others may call it their life. The place I am talking about is Memorial Stadium. It’s hard to imagine that a place like this, even with the people absent, can still have so much energy. Memorial Stadium has more tradition then nearly any place in this country. Not because of the location or structure itself, but because of the players, coaches, and fans that have come through this amazing place.
For my observation I decided that it would have more of an impact to observe this place without people interference and observe it for what the stadium is and what it represents. As you look at Memorial Stadium the first thing nearly anyone will notice is the giant “N”. It stands with pride and hope. It’s so large and massive. It’s bright red shining through for everyone entering town to see and observe. But this “N” stands for more than just Nebraska, it means so much more.
When I see the “N” on the side of the stadium I think of pride and tradition. It is the trademark for Nebraska football. It is a whole different feeling when you see this, almost as if you’re a part of the tradition here and gives you a feel of importance being from the state that displays the “N”. It stands tall and proud just like we as fans do when we say that we support the great Cornhuskers even when times are bad for the program.
Inside the stadium you can see the football numbers below the north press boxes of retired players and players who have been honored in some way. They are on display for everyone to see and not hidden in shame. They are in two different colors, red and black. They range all the way from seven to ninety-eight, but even at this there are not very many on display. All these players have done something special for this program and in some way made it better.
These numbers being displayed at Memorial Stadium send chills down my spine. Seeing the number seven of Eric Crouch not only represents the heisman trophy he possesses, but so much more. From the ninety-seven yard run to the National Championship game of 2001. These numbers represent the program proud and will always be there for everyone to see. There’s nothing to be ashamed of or hide here in this stadium.
As far as smells of the day it’s just fresh air and nothing else. I can imagine the smells of the stadium during a game, but none such today just the air swirling all around and maybe a few exhaust fumes from the passing cars.
I wish I were to engulf in the smell of a football atmosphere at the moment, but no such luck. I know I would smell the food of the game from the Valentino’s pizza to the hot dogs of Fairbury. You are able to enjoy the smell of the grass games although, this resulting in the turf that the play on, but just being around any stadium I can smell it in the air and even catch a taste of it.
Standing outside of the stadium I can hear the Saturday fans cheering and heckling. Even with them absent you can still hear them. The emotion surrounds the structure and to some people this is their church and place of worship. I can see the balloons streaming out of the building, not literally, but they are there. This is the pride and joy for many Nebraska fans.
True to this day, the college football team of Nebraska is why some people wake up on Saturday mornings. It is a big part of what goes on around this area and nearly everything revolves around the games on Saturdays. All of this can’t even begin to explain how important what goes on in Memorial Stadium really is. The stadium is the home of something special and people take great joy in this. On Saturdays all a lot of people want to do is just be “home.”
On the North side of the stadium I can see the second largest screen in any college stadium. The screen is absolutely massive; it has to be nearly thirty feet tall and ninety feet wide. It is a sight like nothing else, but even with its massive size it almost looks small compared to the size of the stadium. It is just a very small portion of what the stadium has to offer. The screen is black and simple, but just by looking at it you know when it is turned on it is something special.
This screen is perfect in my opinion and is not what some may call a waste of money. No it may not be necessary, but its part of the recently renewed tradition and will continue to be in the years to come. It will be part of something new and special as well as part of the technological change that everyone today is experiencing. My hope is that the technology in stadiums, especially Memorial, will never become too advanced and ruin what it is suppose to be all about.
The stadium is lit up with several large lights and many small. It almost looks like a trophy in a trophy case, standing tall and proud for what it represents. Lit up for everyone to see from miles away. Not hiding in shame or disgrace, but there for people to dream about and envision all day long.
The stadium is a trophy to many of Nebraska. Some take more pride in this trophy then some of their own. They want it to be on display and aren’t going to be ashamed of it. It’s an amazing thing to see at night, almost more interesting to view then during the day. You realize so much more about it without all the distractions.
Memorial Stadium is a thing of beauty, even to those that aren’t sports fans or Nebraska die-hard fans. People observe something special every day whether they realize it or not; whether it be from just driving by or being at a game, it’s something special.