David Banks-Imagn Images
Oct 2, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; An overall shot of the inside of the 875 million dollar 35,000 seat New Ryan Field before the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions.
The Northwestern Wildcats opened New Ryan Field, a project that cost nearly $900 million, in perfect fashion Friday night. There was pomp and circumstance and a raucous crowd and, in the end, a 34-13 blowout victory over Penn State.
However, there was one glaring issue that feels like it should have been impossible to miss during the design process.
While the sightlines for the game were incredible for fans, half of the press box in the stadium needed to use cardboard boxes just to sit high enough to see the field.
Half the press box is now standing to see the field. Others are sitting on stacks of cardboard boxes. Ugly scene here. https://t.co/uCPMy08BLn pic.twitter.com/Z7fUHywslU
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) October 3, 2026
Otherwise, their sightlines were obstructed.
How about the obstructed view from the press box https://t.co/ek632CeqnM pic.twitter.com/REidJlGXG2
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) October 3, 2026
“How does one spend $875 million on a stadium and have obstructed seats in the press box?” Nadine Bubu, who covers the Minnesota Golden Gophers, asked on X.
“Ah hell.. I wouldn’t be able to see a dang thing because I’m so short,” University of Arizona reporter Lori Burkhart wrote. “Needed a booster seat in the Kino (Sports Complex) press box last night.”
On the other end of things were fans who were mad at media members who had the nerve to complain that their “free seats” weren’t good enough.
Of course, none of those fans have actually covered a game or understand what goes into. So it makes sense that they’d be so off base with their whining.
But being able to actually see what happens in a game is wildly important to coverage of said game, and somebody at Northwestern has some explaining to do. Or, at least, some taller chairs to buy.