Best Sports Venue: Williams Brice Stadium

“Under the Carolia sky, I stand,” says a loud, deep voice accompanied by the screams of over seventy-seven thousand Gamecock fans. Gamecock football fans flood the stadium for all home games during the fall football season. Attendees are all united by one thing — their love for the Gamecocks. 

With colored LED lights, loud music, enthusiastic fans and the “Mighty Sound of the Southeast,” it is no surprise that Williams-Brice Stadium is once again the champion of Best of Carolina’s Best Sporting Venue. 

As someone who has spent time as a member of the crowd and as a member of the press at football games, the passion of Gamecock fans is truly something special to be a part of and to record. 

This past year, the possibility of bowl-game eligibility was reliant on a victory at the final home game of the season against the team’s biggest rival, Clemson. Over an hour before the game started, the student section, known as “The Cockpit,” was crowded and excited to support its team. Despite the game being on a holiday weekend, Gamecock fans flooded the gates of Williams-Brice Stadium in anticipation of the high-stakes rival game. 

Although this year's Palmetto Bowl did not end in favor of the Gamecocks, fans stayed until the very end to support their team. Seniors on the team and in the student section remained at the stadium after the game ended, soaking up every second they could of the Williams-Brice Stadium environment for the final time. 

Most people only emphasize the value of moments at Williams-Brice Stadium to seniors, but every moment there is special despite your year in college. A student's first-ever Sandstorm is just as important as their last, and every single one in between means something. 

In Columbia, if Gamecock football is played at home, Williams-Brice Stadium is where people spend their Saturdays. It is not just about the game but about the culture of the fans who will always be there for their team. 

Gamecock fanhood is not for fair-weather fans, and this year, students and lifelong Gamecock fans proved that they will support their team regardless of its record.

Carolina Band members have the special opportunity to travel with the team for all of its games. Feature twirler Ally Grooms said that the fanbase is what makes Williams-Brice Stadium different from other SEC stadiums. 

“The energy that the fans bring is amazing. Win or lose, everyone is always so excited to be there with their Gamecock family,” Grooms said. 

Rain or shine, win or lose, there is nothing quite like Saturdays in South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium.