There's been a lot of talk about a roof lately… and it's been making me wonder… There has to be other people who aren't in favour of a roof (like me).
Let me elaborate for a minute. Parky gets up on his soapbox
Think back to all those great BMO field memories. How many of them were linked to the weather? Remember the sun coming out after a rain storm and watching the team turn it around? Remember that soaker against Vancouver where they had to delay the match twice, and we advanced because of it? Remember those hot summer days rolling into the stands after a tailgate and just loving the summer weather? Almost all of my awesome memories of BMO field are directly linked to 3 things – the crew of folks we're with in the stadium, the BMO experience, and on rare occasions, the team.
At the moment, Toronto FC is the only major league team playing outdoors in the city of Toronto. Sure the Blue Jays can open the roof, but that's still like sitting inside a convertible with the top down – it's not really outside. The connection has to be made between the overall atmosphere at BMO and the open-sky nature of the experience. The energy, vibe and spirit of the crowd isn't like anything else in stuffy old Toronto, and I think that being exposed to the elements is a key factor.
So what are the advantages of a roof? We'll be a bit louder, and that's a good thing, BUT remember how loud we were in 2007? You could hear a goal celebration from Queen Street! The stadium roared after every goal! A roof would let us hang banners from the rafters like at Jeld-Wen in Portland, but would that alone be worth risking openness of the South stands? Sure a roof would improve some things, but how would it detract from other things? Would the pros outweigh the cons? In my opinion – nope.
It's easy to see the roof as a concession to the fair weather fans. We're still going to be there, rain or shine, and there's lots of people in every section at BMO who brave the elements and don't let a little rain stop them. Would a roof be catering to the people who wouldn't be there unless it's a sunny afternoon? And let's not forget night games! With a roof they'd probably have to overlight the whole place. It wouldn't be like a boxing match where they light the ring and leave the crowd in relative darkness – it would be like the ACC. It's not going to be lit like an old European stadium, that just doesn't happen anymore. And would people be more inclined to sit during games if they felt like it was an indoor stadium? Part of me thinks so.
So there – a rambling mess of a thread, but there's a point in here somewhere. Some of us DON'T think a roof would be an improvement. In fact, I think it would effectively cut off the past. We've have a distinct line in time where "the good old days" ended.
So am I the only one? (it's grownup discussion time folks, so please, keep it civil and on topic)
Oh right…. You know the Argos are used to playing at the Skydome, so a stadium with a roof would be all that much more appealing to them.