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| - There's a thin line between historic and just plain old, and that line runs through about midfield at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
I have attended drum corps shows and lacrosse games at American Legion Memorial Stadium. While drum corps is returning this summer, lacrosse will take center stage as the stadium is the new home of the Charlotte Hounds, Charlotte's new Major League Lacrosse franchise. First the positives: There's not a bad seat in the place, and sightlines are great. The stadium is easy to get to and fairly easy to get into and out of. A new parking deck adjacent to the facility should make parking on-site even easier. The open end of the stadium provides a great view of Charlotte's skyline, an old-school feature that the new breed of ballparks is now seeking to emulate. The latest renovation added a number of chairback seats front and center on the home side, and the playing surface seems to be much improved.
That said, the stadium does show its age in a few areas. The bathrooms certainly leave some to be desired. While general admission events that don't sell to capacity still allow for comfortable seating, it gets quite tight when consecutive bleacher seats are sold. I don't know if this is a function of the stadium or its operator, but each time I have been there, the purchase of concessions first required the purchase of tokens, adding a cumbersome second step to the concourse. This practice, plus a few "pinch points" entering and exiting the stands lead to crowded spaces which are difficult to navigate and which I can't imagine are particularly accessible.
It's a solid stadium for what it is. Time will tell if once again having a permanent tenant in the Hounds will lead to even more upgrades.
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