One consequence of having a record crowd of 44,835 people pack a stadium is the need to have a clear strategy of getting people into the stadium and having enough workers to keep the various lines moving. Apparently Nissan Stadium, the home for the USMNT’s 4-0 win against Guatemala, failed at doing that and people voiced their frustrations on Twitter.
Thanks to @EmptySeatsPics, as they retweeted some of the frustrations.
THOSE IN NASHVILLE – No purses or bags allowed inside stadium per security. Bags must be checked for $10 outside. Only pocket bags allowed.
— The American Outlaws (@AmericanOutlaws) July 3, 2015
Whoever is in charge of concessions and parking at Nissan stadium for the USA soccer match should be arrested for ignorance. What a joke.
— marc carter (@datamarc) July 3, 2015
LP Field (Nissan stadium) totally unprepared for this huge crowd #USAvsGUA. This ain't the Titans!!
— Glenn Overbey (@BGoverB) July 4, 2015
@Aramark you really need to fix Nashville Nissan Stadium food service… Waited over 45 minutes that's a waste of tickets for #USAvGUA
— Jeff Lowe (@jdlowe72) July 3, 2015
Waited in line for 45 mins at Nissan Stadium for a Coke. They were out of coke. Then got yelled at by an employee. Good purchase @Nissan
— Mary Elise Schlich (@MESchlich) July 3, 2015
GREAT JOB @nissan_stadium ushers. I can see 65% of the field. #USAvGUA pic.twitter.com/cqeVHpgtDT
— James Woulfe (@jwoulfe) July 4, 2015
Dear #nissanstadium. Please promote your no bags policy. This experience has almost ruined my night. Waiting 30 minutes for my bag so far.
— Dave Delaney (@davedelaney) July 4, 2015
#USMNT at #NissanStadium in Nashville. 44k fans and 5 concession stands. Terrible.
— Daniel Ryan (@this_DanRyan) July 4, 2015
@nissan_stadium Terrible lines. Only a few food vendors open. No ushers. No one sitting in their ticketed seat. #USAvGUA Ridiculous
— James Woulfe (@jwoulfe) July 4, 2015
Wow! #NissanStadium even managed to mess up leaving the stadium. Huge line to get to the walking bridge. pic.twitter.com/a5Vbl7HGqv
— Jeff Dial (@Wareagles94) July 4, 2015
Woah @nissanstadium @LPStadium Bag line is ridiculous for #usmnt game… #epicfail pic.twitter.com/UQHZtD9Rvb
— Amie Weldy (@AmieWeldy) July 4, 2015
@Titans great game at Nissan stadium sorry it was ruined by understaffed awful stadium. Thinking about dumping my PSL. #embarrassed
— draper lovelady (@DraperLovelady) July 4, 2015
This has sincerely been the worst experience I've ever had at a stadium. Nissan Stadium should be ashamed of their amenities.
— Eric Shuff (@ericshuff) July 4, 2015
Between customer service and parking, @Nissan Stadium has got to be one of the worst facilities I've ever been to. Absolute garbage.
— Mary Elise Schlich (@MESchlich) July 4, 2015
@Nissan_Stadium Is my bag worth it? Holding it ransom. This line is terrible. #unfortunate #badtaste #NissanStadium pic.twitter.com/ActZ09tHgZ
— Amie Weldy (@AmieWeldy) July 4, 2015
Dear @Nissan_Stadium your bag/purse policy and process to get your bag back is absolute crap.
— Ashleigh Marbutt (@ash_marbutt) July 4, 2015
Traffic leaving #NissanStadium is god awful! #Nashville we've been sitting still for 40 minutes. #literally
— DeWayne Terrell (@dewayne_terrell) July 4, 2015
@Nissan_Stadium waiting an hour to get your bag back is absurd get your shit together! pic.twitter.com/4Qs5B8CpU1
— Peter Burns (@petegrowslocal) July 4, 2015
This is how long I've been waiting. #nissanstadium @Nissan_Stadium pic.twitter.com/CyiRzQU7C3
— Dave Delaney (@davedelaney) July 4, 2015
@PaulKuharskyNFL 44k in attendance and only one concession stand for everyone in the 300 level. Thanks for the memories Nissan Stadium
— Mike Molloy (@MikePMolloy) July 4, 2015
This is bad. This stadium hosts NFL games that hold crowds of almost 70,000 people so it’s clear that they can effectively operate big crowds. I don’t know if those in charge of the Nissan Stadium facility staff underestimated the size of a USMNT crowd or what but if that’s the case, someone should have at least talked to someone in the ticketing department and figure out that almost 45,000 tickets were sold, maybe they needed to have a more appropriate number of people working the game.
Unfortunately, it’s the employees at the stadium who are going to get yelled at the most (other than on social media). I totally understand why fans are upset and are going to voice their frustrations toward the nearest employee they see. The problem is, that person running the concession stand or running the bag check area doesn’t deserve to be the recipient of people’s anger because 1) they’re just following orders and there’s nothing they can do about it and 2) they don’t make nearly enough money to deserve to be yelled at for something they can’t control and can’t fix, trust me. That anger should be directed to their bosses and their bosses bosses because something clearly messed up on their end. It’s clear, with 44,835 people, US Soccer will someday be back in Nashville. Hopefully those in charge at Nissan Stadium realized tonight that Nashville is a soccer city and they’ll be better prepared next time.
