Georgia Football: South stands Upgrades at The cost Of tradition

The University of Georgia announced some changes for the 2023 Georgia Football season. With the upgrades to the South stands in Sanford Stadium, it was promised to have a bigger concourse and easier flow in and out of the gates.

The University will now use Sanford Bridge as a gated area. Closing the bridge on Friday nights till Sunday morning after home games.

Now, this is a minor annoyance and I am sure it will not bother me after a few games. But as of right now, I’m irrationally upset about this.

The school already knocked down the trees over on the south stands and that really hurt me. In my 24 years of going to Georgia games, I have looked at those trees. Those trees were a zen thing for me and many others. Too bad. All in the name of progress, I guess.

But the Bridge? You shouldn’t be able to mess with the bridge. It should be open during the games. You should be able to walk across it Friday nights before the game.

Do you know how many students on Friday night make their way from downtown to that bridge and look inside the stadium? There are at least a thousand that pay a visit. I did.

Vince Dooley chose not to enclose the stadium where the bridge is located, so the people who could not afford to go to a game could at least get a glimpse. Dooley talked about how he did not see the Sugar Bowl when he was a kid, which made him decide not to enclose the stadium. While over the years the view has gotten worse, it was still open to the public.

With ticket prices going up, and bad home games the next two years, it adds insult to injury. But like most things, things are bound to change. It is just the way the world works.

So pour one out for the bridge. Another tradition victim to change and progress.