Kate Raddatz at local CBS affiliate WCCO reports on a problem at the new US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis:
“Stadiums for a long time have had noise levels that can be damaging to your hearing,” Dr. David Geddes, an audiologist for HealthPartners, said.
U.S. Bank Stadium could be the loudest stadium Minnesota has ever seen. The Minnesota Vikings website says the roof on U.S. Bank Stadium features more “acoustically reflective material” and “should make the stadium louder” than the Metrodome.
A local radio station measured the sound during the soccer match at U.S. Bank Stadium reaching over 105 decibels. HealthPartners says that is ten times louder than the volume at an average NFL stadium.
Dr. Geddes says any sound over 85 decibels can damage tiny cells inside the ear. Even if your ears stop ringing after a loud event, you could have problems down the line.
And what is stadium management doing about this damaging environment?
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority said ear plugs will be handed out for events at U.S. Bank Stadium.
I’m sorry, but I’m just an engineer. I generally prefer to fix problems – not offer band-aids while not covering the runaway band saw that’s cutting children in half.
I suppose someone will tell me why a class action suit is just not possible. Maybe ticket buyers give away their constitutional rights when they agree to buy a ticket. I know I’d write that into the purchase agreement if I were the lawyer in charge of writing the legal verbiage of a stadium ticket.
But the fact is that this is a human-created environment, and there’s no reason it should damage your hearing.
