Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin is a private university (not aligned with the UW system) that is based in this city in the Fox Valley region of the state. It's football program has been mired in being a non-competitive program for several years, with only a handful of wins since the COVID season was taken in 2020. I was able to find the Banta Bowl for their home opener against Martin Luther, and unfortunately their best game of the season still resulted in a 19 point loss for the Vikings. However, how did I find the Banta Bowl overall? Let's find out below (And of course, the ratings go to Amenities, Atmosphere, Location and Price).
Amenities:
If the Banta Bowl has anything going for it, it's an exceptionally clean, roomy place with plenty enough to offer to the Vikings fans. They have a merch stand, food stand, bathrooms, and they have a concourse that is really wide. It doubles as a soccer stadium as well, so it is helpful for all sports. Overall, very clean facility and stadium, wide concourse. One does get a knock though is the wait at the gate to get in the stadium. Yes, it was a game that denoted its highest crowd (though not a sellout) but there was a significant wait to get into the game. Overall, 4 out of 5.
Atmosphere:
When you have only a handful of wins in a half decade, it doesn't bode well for atmosphere. The Vikings fans feel they want a winner, and during their touchdowns, they did get excited. However, in a 33-14 game, the fans can only be so excited and energetic. The away crowd with Martin Luther was excited as they nearly packed the away stand. So the away fans were more excited than the home fans. I have to go based off of what happened that day, so the best I can give is a 1.5 out of 5.
Location:
The Banta Bowl is situated in Appleton but secluded from the major areas of Appleton, like the mall, shopping areas, etc. It might be on Lawrence's campus but feels like the outskirt of it. However, the way it is sunk into the earth is neat for a stadium setting. However, around it isn't.. a lot. An aquatic center is there, but otherwise it's just a road and a side road. You'll have to travel a couple miles for a lot of the main food options. Overall, 2 out of 5.
Price:
For the fact it's a bad record-wise football team playing in a nice stadium, tickets are cheap. Food/drink is fine for price and I believe merch was a decent price too. No major frills, the food and drink are fine, but not overwhelmingly terrific. But this is where the score will be high, 5 out of 5 for price.
Review:
Unfortunately, The Banta Bowl is a stadium that is good, but surrounded in essence by a program that has lost, and continues to lose, a bunch in a half decade. If they can ever right the ship, pardon the pun, it feels like the Banta Bowl will become a lively place. However, 12.5 is the best they can get in these circumstances.
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