It is these different needs, relationships and emotions which shape stadiums to be the structures they are. The world needs to be awed, excited and impressed by the stadium. The nation needs to feel a sense of pride and tribalism when inside the stadium. Locals need to be able to visit and use the stadium daily. Upon reflection, this raises a compulsive question: who are stadiums built for? The locals, the nation, or the world? Granted, each party has a different relationship with the stadium. But more importantly, this signifies a shift to a global audience due to the increased accessibility that digital media provides. On a technical level this means the best seats in the stadium no longer go to the owners, managers, and actual royalty, rather they go to the camera crew and journalists. Perhaps the statement which stood out to me the most in Paul Brislin’s talk was “Digital Media is the new royalty”. Hence nearly all stadiums, old and new, are built in a bowl-like shape, with tiered seating looking down towards the centre. This is because society has always revered sports and so the function of stadiums: to bring people close to their entertainment, has also never changed. Interestingly, he pointed out that while sport has evolved from Stone Age wrestling and Roman gladiator fights to the extravagant Super Bowls and Olympic Games they are now, stadiums themselves have never changed. Last month, Paul Brislin, director of Arup, gave a talk to a diverse audience ranging from Year 7 secondary students to architecture professionals, about stadiums. They are at the heart of sports games and unite fans through truly memorable in-person experiences. Now sitting on my couch glumly flicking through Sky Sports by myself, I realise just how important stadiums are. Gone are the days of hugging random people when a goal for your team is scored.
In the age of COVID, gathering along with thousands of other people to watch a sports match seems like a distant dream.
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