LES seating configuration changes

Don't read the following the wrong way. I am all for BYU giving sufficient access to games for as many handicapped people as want to come and can afford it.



But I was surprised to see three rows of next to the field seating across the entire east stadium covered up today. This apparently was done to preserve sight lines for wheelchair-bound congregants (because they wouldn't be able to see over people standing in the three rows in front of them). Last year only two or three of the sections were covered; this year, all nine or ten.



So that's a net loss of about 200 more seats than last year. Which is why, I guess, that attendance was 63,800 but considered a sellout.



I wonder why the big change--did that many more ticket buyers request handicapped seating. Again, I don't mind it, it's a nice combination of attention and ADA compliance, but can anyone shed light on why the dramatic expansion/reduction of seating?

Its my understanding that it's based entirely on the number of people requesting handicapped seating and the only place they really have to accommodate it is along the East side, so the more they need to use, the more bench seats right in front of them will be covered.



I'd love to hear more if someone actually knows something about it.

Hawk, I think you are correct. And as I was standing behind them during pregame, I thought, man (ok dont shoot me) it would be nice to have a crazy MUSS-like crazy student section right there in the east.

Other stadiums I have seen handicap sections on the mezzanine level-like at the marriott center.

The players' families sit in the section to the south of the richy-richs in the B-Y-U sections and they do ok as far as noise; the B-Y-U sections do marginally well on noise, we know about the West side graveyard, filled with 2nd-gen donors, bluehairs....anyway I digress.

Student sections are in the endzones and that actually is pretty good particularly when alot of noise is needed. So, let the Handicap folks keep their seats and lets all make more noise.

in my previous days as a Cougar United member I usually sat (stood) in front of the handicapped seating area on the east side, around the 40-50 yard line. Some years there'd be more or less benches covered up to accommodate those in wheel chairs. I think we were still able to make a lot of noise for our Cougars though, even missing 2 or three rows.