Bills fans rip Highmark Stadium's sightlines and $2.1B price tag

The Bills' new Highmark Stadium made its preseason debut this weekend, and the reaction wasn't all awe at the new building. Fans started posting photos of seats with railings, glass panels and stairwells cutting straight through their sightlines, and the complaints spread fast enough that Barstool personalities jumped in too.

CaptainCons was one of the loudest voices pushing back on anyone downplaying it. After some pushback online, he doubled down, pointing to multiple photos of actual seats inside the building with blocked views.

Cons

@CaptainCons

to the people saying this isn't a seat ok got it but there were multiple other pics posted that ARE seats int he stadium with obstructed views again I posit, I am flabbergasted that this can happen in modern stadiums.

It's not just about what fans can't see — it's also about what's now impossible to ignore. Cons followed up with a separate gripe about the stadium's video boards, saying he actually prefers them smaller because otherwise fans end up watching the jumbotron instead of the game happening right in front of them.

Cons

@CaptainCons

one aspect of new stadiums that I sneaky don't love is jumbotron size so I like that it's smaller you find yourself watching the jumbotron more than the players on the field. It's weird like our brains are trained now to watch the TV. All the time I have to force myself to watch the players, not the screen

Barstool's Wake Up Barstool crew piled on with the same theme, poking fun at the new stadium's screens by comparing them, unfavorably, to a college setup: "They got bigger video boards at Akron. I could be on the kiss cam and not even know" -Blutman. The clip shows the packed new building mid-game, with the HIGHMARK-branded board visible above the field as both sides warmed up.

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

Talking about the Bills new stadium: “They got bigger video boards at Akron. I could be on the kiss cam and not even know” -Blutman

The complaints are landing harder because of what this stadium actually cost. New York State and Erie County committed a combined $850 million in public funds toward the $2.1 billion project — the largest public commitment ever made to an NFL facility — while Bills fans have paid over $200 million in personal seat license fees just for the right to buy season tickets. Barstool summed up the math bluntly: "Bills Mafia Just Paid $260 Million in PSLs and $850 Million in Public Funds for a Stadium Where They Can't See the Whole Field."

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

Bills Mafia Just Paid $260 Million in PSLs and $850 Million in Public Funds for a Stadium Where They Can't See the Whole Field t.co/QpIOOAXWOU

Some of the venue's other quirks are getting the same treatment. Fans have also been posting about the new bathrooms, with one photo from inside the stadium capturing just how tight the facilities feel for a building that cost this much.

The Bills' inaugural regular-season game at the new stadium is still ahead, so the team has a few weeks to figure out fixes — or at least manage the messaging — before it's opening night for real. Given the price tag and the public money involved, don't expect the sightline complaints to quiet down before then.