Lambeau Field continues to dominate pro sports stadium rankings

For those of you that somehow aren’t aware that I’m a Green Bay Packers fan, let me start by telling you that I am. I even have a cheese head that I wear on those special game days. I have several Packers t-shirts, a hoodie, two watches (SuperBowl I & GB Logo) and two blankets. The Packers are a unique sports franchise that plays in a historically rich and exciting venue… Lambeau Field; and I just had to share this news with you.

For the second straight year and the fourth time in the last five years, Lambeau Field is ranked No. 1 in stadium experience in all of professional sports in ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings.

The publication ranks all 122 North American professional sports franchises in stadium experience based on cleanliness, parking, security and promotions. Lambeau Field first hit the top spot in 2005 and stayed there in 2006 before dropping to second in 2007. Last year it climbed back to No. 1 and remained there this year.

"We're proud of the fact that fans continue to enjoy their experiences at Lambeau Field," Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy said. "We're always looking at ways to enhance the fan experience, to keep things fresh while also maintaining the traditions inherent to Lambeau Field. We work hard to make it a great visit for all of our fans."

Stadium experience is one of eight categories ESPN The Magazine uses to create the Ultimate Standings for all professional sports franchises. The publication says the rankings provide a measure of how much teams give back to the fans in exchange for all the time, money and emotion the fans invest in them.

In the overall rankings combining all eight categories, the Packers finished 13th this year, good for second among NFL franchises behind the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Other categories that contributed to Green Bay's strong showing were fan relations (18th overall, 3rd in NFL) and affordability (22nd overall, 1st in NFL).

As a franchise, the Packers have finished in the top 10 overall in four of the seven years ESPN The Magazine has been compiling The Ultimate Standings, including No. 1 overall in 2003, the inaugural year of the survey. The Packers were No. 4 overall last year.

ESPN The Magazine's Jason Catania credits the G-Force campaign and the Tundra Tailgate Zone with contributing to Lambeau Field's top ranking. G-Force is known as the extra boost of energy the sellout crowd provides the team, while the Tundra Tailgate Zone is a tented tailgate area open to the public and located in the east parking lot of the stadium.

Lambeau Field has ranked no lower than fourth in all of pro sports in the stadium experience category since the inception of the survey, and has been the top venue in the NFL every year. For a look at the entire survey, click here.