In writing “The Arena,” Rafi Kohan made it his mission to not only visit many of the notable sports venues across America but to explore their allure, distinct characteristics, and behind-the-scenes details that factor into their popularity with fans. More than just a travelogue to places like Green Bay’s venerable Lambeau Field and Dallas’s supersized, ultramodern AT&T Stadium, Kohan’s opus examines the traditions, mascots, and quirky aspects that place these stadiums and arenas at the heart of America’s sports culture.
Here’s an excerpt from The Arena:
“The road from Pittsburgh to State College is a two-lane highway that cuts through the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania. Steam and fog dip into the valleys and rise off the mountaintops, beneath a sky choked with gray. The countryside is defined by earth tones, a canvas of mud browns and forest greens. Even with the cloud cover, everything seems lush; Pennsylvania State University – where I’m headed – is a land-grant institution.
“Longtime Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight liked to joke that going to State College, a town of around 42,000, wasn’t so much a road trip as a camping trip. ‘There’s nothing around for a hundred miles,’ he’d say. The old coach wasn't wrong – the view from the road is lonely landscape – but on football Saturdays, there is nothing sleepy about this remote college town. That’s when State College triples in size, swelling to become the third largest municipality in the state of Pennsylvania, as tens of thousands of vehicles pour in off the highway from every direction and clog the local roads that lead to Beaver Stadium, home of the Nittany Lions. With an official capacity of 106,572, it is the second-largest stadium in the nation.”
