The New York Giants and New York Jets call MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey home.
The venue is a far cry from the fading Giants Stadium that used to adorn the Meadowlands Sports Complex, one time known as The Swamp. But it also lacks the personality of its predecessor and provides almost no charm.
In the eyes of Giants and Jets fans, MetLife Stadium is an overpriced lunchbox that’s as boring inside as it is outside.
To no surprise, NFL reporters for The Athletic recently ranked MetLife Stadium one of the worst venues in the NFL with 13 reporters listing it in the bottom-5 of the league.
25. MetLife Stadium
Teams: New York Giants, New York Jets
Seating capacity: 82,500
Google review: 4.5 stars
Despite it not being old, 13 ballots had it ranked as one of the five worst stadiums in the league.
“When MetLife was completed in 2010 it cost $1.6 billion,” Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt wrote. “The money was not particularly well spent. It’s a boring stadium — which is something universally agreed on by both Giants and Jets fans, a rarity — both in look and feel. The food is poor. And it’s always a disaster exiting the stadium, especially for fans — and that gets even worse after concerts. There’s a mall nearby but otherwise it’s not exactly an exciting area, especially as the home base for two teams that are supposed to represent New York City.”
The parking lot traffic entering the game, and particularly the traffic exiting the game (including public transport), is an absolute nightmare.
As The Athletic mentions, MetLife Stadium has also had its issues with food and that’s not including the free medium Pepsi offer that applied only to season ticket holders a few years ago.
Some would also argue that the fans themselves are an issue.
Due to PSLs, the rising cost of a gameday experience, and the aforementioned traffic/public transportation issues, a large portion of those in the stands are wealthy businessmen and businesswomen who got tickets through different corporations. Casual fans call them the “down in front” crew.
Luckily, some of those issues have been alleviated under the combination of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, who have the fans standing, cheering, and actively engaged again.
Still, there’s no denying that MetLife Stadium is a boring old lunchbox. Or microwave. Take your pick.
