Gillette Stadium Has a Design Flaw That Continues to Be a Problem

You hate to see this. Simply hate to see it. You’d think when you set out to build a $325 million stadium – paid for entirely with KraftBucks, without charging the ticket buyers Personal Seat Licenses and with the only taxpayer money going to build the roads and sidewalks and hook up the utilities, like with any building, they would’ve worked out all the bugs before they put a shovel in the ground. That they would’ve allowed for every contingency.

But nope. They made a huge miscalculation and they’re paying for it to this day. I’ve heard it said that scientists get asked if something is possible. And if they say “Yes it is. In theory,” then someone will turn to the engineers and say “OK, now go do it.” In this case, even though the very first game played there opened with a banner ceremony, the architects must never assumed six Super Bowl banners was possible. And now it’s up to the engineers to go do it. And you have to feel for those guys.

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It just goes to show the brains who design major construction projects are human too. I mean, no one ever drew up a blueprint that said “Leaning Tower of Pisa” across the top. For much of my childhood the John Hancock Tower in Boston was raining down massive panels of razor sharp, glassy death down upon the streets below. And that was built by an insurance company. And let’s not talk about the Big Dig leaking and dropping a concrete ceiling down on some lady’s car after it costing $23 billion to shave 15 minutes off my drive to the airport.

Well the fact the Gillette Stadium architects only allowed space for three more  banners after that first one proves they’re human. It’s the exhaust port that leads to the reactor chamber on the Death Star they built. (Yes, I know “Rogue One” explained how Galen Erso put it there on purpose to sabotage the Empire. Don’t @ me.)

They still have space for Super Bowl LIII. And the one after that. But after that, they’re screwed. And better get going on a solution now, what with Brady playing until he’s 45 and them coming off the best draft of any team in the league. Even Champagne Problems need solutions.