The roof of NRG Stadium has still not been repaired after Hurricane Beryl damaged several sections back in early July. Despite the missing section of roof, the Houston Texans proceeded with their regularly scheduled preseason game against the New York Giants.
It quickly became clear to fans and players on Sunday that the missing section of roof was making the stadium very hot. At kick off the temperature was about 93 degrees. By the time of the final play, it was 98 degrees. Typically, the Texans play every game with the roof closed. The retractable structure will sometimes be opened during winter games or night games when the Texas heat finally abates.
On Sunday, though, a majority of the seats in the 100-level bowl were directly in the line of hot sun. Some fans even went looking for other, less valuable seats.
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Carl Fulkerson, Texans fan and season ticket holder for 15 years, told Click2 Houston, “the sun is brutal when you are sitting in the direct heat with little air movement (…) the only relief came when a cloud would cover it for a bit, which was far and few between. The longer I sat there the more discomfort I felt and eventually got to where I could not sit there anymore and moved to a place where there was shade.”
Longtime fans know that this isn’t the first time the roof at NRG has been damaged. Hurricane Ike also damaged the roof in 2008. Back then, the roof was not fully repaired until 2009.
Prior to Sunday’s game, NRG Stadium released a statement to fans saying, “As guests plan their visit to NRG Stadium, we recommend they stay informed about weather forecasts and prepare and dress accordingly, whether it be for rain, heat, or other conditions.”
Cal McNair, Texans owner, said he hoped the roof would be repaired about a month into the season. That leaves three more home games for fans to sit through the heat and the end to summer in Texas is nowhere in sight.
