Where Does Raymond James Stadium Rank Among NFL Venues?
It could be better, but it certainly could be much worse.
For Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, they've got it pretty good when it comes to a home stadium.
Opened in 1998, "Ray Jay" has been the Bucs' home for more than two decades, playing host to Super Bowls, college football national championship games, U.S. Soccer matches, the annual Outback Bowl and USF Football home games, to name a few things.
In a recent league-wide ranking of all 31 stadiums, The Athletic put the Bucs' home digs right in the middle of the pack at No. 15.
The stadium underwent $100 million in renovations and improvements back in 2016, and there's plenty of team-specific character to it, namely the pirate-themed concourses headlined by the iconic pirate ship in the north end zone.
Aside from the early-season games that bake the audience without a dome or retractable roof, there's really not much to hate about The New Sombrero. Especially in the press box, where the food is always fabulous, and halftime Bananas Foster is the best treat in the entire league.
To check out The Athletic's full rankings, including the reasons for their five best and five worst picks, click here.
