2+ years ago, when Phildo had Hayward Field torn down, I told myself I would never associate myself with the stadium again. Then covid took over. That part of covid made me happy...no events at "What Once was Hayward Field" in 2020 and 2021! The stadium is a joke! Not only is track and field as we once knew it, done there, but the stadium is a joke too! In the Spring of 2020, A friend of mine, an experienced electrician, was offered a contractors contract to assist with the electrical installation for the stadium. After 2 days on the job, my friend discovered such bad work by other electrical contractors at the site, the he resigned his position from the project. In his view, since nike was attempting to finish the project in time for the 2020 Pac-12 Championships in May, Shortcuts were being taken in the completion of the stadium that were not only aesthetic related, but public safety related as well. My friend resigned his position because of fear of lawsuit.He wanted no part of it. Does that surprise us?
"What Once Was Hayward Field"
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Scott give it a rest. Hayward Field was a decrepit old barn. The new stadium is almost exactly the way I envisioned it could be, except for the big phallus.
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Sentimentality only goes so far. I saw Salazar, Chapa, Rono, etc. run there in the 70's, great memories BUT face it, the place was outdated and if you're going to keep having quality meets there, you have to keep up with everyone else. The old barn was reminding me of Parker (Reser) stadium prior to its renovations. Stroll on.....
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It was probably inevitable that Hayward Field had to be updated, but they could have paid homage to the original facility in the design. Other than the location, there is no resemblance to that Track and Field shrine we remember.
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The new stadium is beautiful and will be a showcase for the sport. It is a huge improvement over the old facility for both athletes and fans. Better seats, concourses that make it easier to get to them, easy access to concessions and restrooms, coverage in bad weather, improved warm up facilities for competitors, etc.
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As a lifelong fan of the sport I am glad I got to take in the '16 OT at old Hayward and experience the storied legacy of that space and place. The parking situation (park at Autzen, wait on shuttle buses both ways, limited shuttle bus schedule) was a PITA for old, small Hayward and I'm not signing up to pay to deal with that for a much larger stadium. If they'd put the new stadium near Beaverton or Seattle or LA, I would happily go to a meet there in the future. Or even just on some land out near Autzen. Failing to preserve anything about Hayward other than location just loses all the iconic appeal. I'm not traveling to Eugene to see basketball in Knight Arena, either. To me Nike just pushed a twisted, pernicious vision on this project when there could have been more enlightened solutions. But that's who they are, they cannibalize what's genuinely special because they think their brand is special.
