[mooby]

Originally Posted by irish

Having a roof does not automatically mean no grass. The stadium the AZ Cardinals play in has a roof and natural grass. The field is on a "tray" and that "tray" is on tracks so it it brought outside for sunlight and to protect the field when other events are taking place.

I really love the cool modern look of this design but think they would be crazy to not put a roof on the stadium. Having a roof means the stadium can be used for football (no roof = no Super Bowl), NCAA Final 4, political conventions, mega concerts and lots of other events. The roof makes it something that can be used 365 days a year and that's gotta help justify and offset the extra cost.

I understand how the Cards system works, I just don't think having a retractable field is doable given the space limitations in the area. I also understand your point about the roof but I believe it's not a dealbreaker, concerts can still be played outdoors. Sure some events will be excluded but if they aren't concerned about it I won't be. Maybe the cost of a roof on a design like this is a big difference, and rather than start from scratch they just want to go ahead with it.