If you build it…
“Ray, people will come, Ray. They’ll come to Evanston for reasons they can’t even fathom.”
I like to imagine that Derrick Gragg goes on walks. He likes to clear his mind after a full day’s work. Gotta get his steps in. Big fan of the cold air.
In my mind I have the Northwestern Athletic Director walking across Martin Stadium on a brisk winter night, his gaze fixed on a Lake Michigan veiled by a dark sky, when he hears a voice from above.
If you build it, he will come.
On April 10, Northwestern got its field of dreams. The school will build a temporary stadium on the lakefront to hold home football games during the two years it takes to build the new Ryan Field. I’m not totally solid on the specifics of how this came to be. For all I care, it could have been Gragg or a disembodied voice from over top of Kellogg.
What matters is two unexpected years of on-campus football in what will potentially be one of the coolest and most unique venues in the country. It also is, if anything, a tremendous upgrade on many of the proposed alternatives, especially SeatGeek Stadium, the soccer-specific venue 50 minutes from the Evanston campus that was at one point trending to be an extraordinarily depressing way station.
Here are three reasons to love Northwestern football on the lakefront:
1. Evanston football for student athletes
The lakefront stadium is a huge for Northwestern football players who committed to the program knowing the uncertainty surrounding their home-field situation. It is massive for freshmen who could have potentially spent their first two years with the program playing 12 de-facto away games in front of purple-free crowds scattered across Chicago and the great Midwest. Instead, they will open their Northwestern careers on-campus in a stadium that will hopefully be packed to capacity with 15,000 Wildcat faithful.
For upperclassmen, the new stadium means a little bit more. West Lot Pirates summed it up nicely:
Maybe the single best thing about this: It’s a gift to the @NUFBFamily upperclassmen and their families.
Those guys are making the sacrifice of playing away from Ryan Field while knowing they’ll never suit up in the new building.
Now they’ll always share this special thing
— West Lot Pirates (@westlotpirates) April 10, 2024
For the group that willed the program back to life after a 1-11 record and offseason turmoil, the lakefront stadium is hard-earned salvation. These players deserve a raucous home environment and a stadium adequate for an 8-5 bowl-winning football team. It’s beyond cool that they will get to finish their college careers playing on their own campus instead of as a parading troupe collecting cash from away fans.
And for recruiting, I think it’s a much easier for David Braun to bring guys to Evanston with the promise of at least eight true home games on campus. Northwestern immediately goes from “The Library” to “The Lake Show” (if lacrosse will let football borrow the nickname). Home environment matters in college football, and it’s a better sell to tell kids that they get to open their seasons in their own backyard than in the home of Chicago’s rugby team.
An underrated aspect of the new venue is the impact it will have on other sports. Northwestern lacrosse and soccer will both play in the lakefront stadium, hopefully shattering their respective attendance records in the process. The lakefront stadium will also not encroach on Northwestern field hockey’s territory, keeping the national championship runner-ups at home where they belong.
2. One of the most unique venues in college football
The lakefront stadium immediately places Evanston on the list of must-see destinations for college football fans. There’s nothing really comparable to Big Ten football on Lake Michigan, especially against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline. I’d argue that from a pure views perspective, a spruced-up Martin Stadium is up there with the likes of Washington’s Husky Stadium, Army’s Michie Stadium and BYU’s Lavell Edwards Stadium. For an always disrespected Northwestern squad, the lakefront stadium adds a layer of a credibility and relevance. Give me a Lake Michigan sunset over them all.
The lakefront was also built for college football. When College GameDay last came to Evanston 2013, that’s where ESPN set up shop. It’s where Kendrick Lamar, Offset and Playboy Carti headlined Dillo Day. It’s built for big stages and national audiences. Northwestern should have no problem filling the 15,000 capacity stadium to the brim. Students will be there — the stadium is a two minute walk from North campus. The novelty of lakefront football should bring a strong Evanston crowd and a healthy dose of spirited alums. Northwestern also has already announced that season ticket holders will get first priority for seating, potentially signaling that the school expects the tickets to sell out.
3. On-campus tailgating
Perhaps the biggest winners in this whole thing are Northwestern students. Lakefront Northwestern football should electrify the campus. Give me on-campus tailgates in the Martin Stadium parking lot and in the frat quads. Give me goal posts in Lake Michigan. Give me Monaco Grand Prix style sail-gating. Give me the Ryan family in a yacht.
As of now, it looks like Northwestern will only play a handful games next season in the lakefront stadium with students on campus. September 14 against Eastern Illinois and October 5 against Indiana look to be lakeshore locks. But the rest of its home football still may be played at some combination of Wrigley Field and Lambeau Field. With two home games before students arrive in Evanston (August 31 vs. Miami of Ohio and September 7 vs. Duke), you can blame the quarter system for that one.
However, in a transition period for Northwestern football, those few games are a gift to a student body that has showed an ability and willingness to pack student sections. Make fun of “The Library” all you want, but the student section of old Ryan Field was never the problem. In a reduced capacity stadium with one of the premier views in college football, the students will make the environment.