One of the most contentious issues in my neighborhood concerns plans by Capital University, a small, ELCA-affiliated institution located in a residential community, to install lights and an improved sound system to hold night games in their stadium.
Last night, Capital received planning permission to install the lights, although the university is restricted in the hours the lights can be used.
Capital is not an NCAA Division I school with television contracts dictating night games. (Capital is in Division III.) Rather, the pressure to hold night games comes from the rise of interest in soccer, whose matches are often held on weekdays in a league (Ohio Athletic Conference) where teams might travel more than 2 hours for a game. Getting teams to a stadium for a 4 p.m. game may require the team to leave at noon, which may impact student attendance in academic classes.
Many of my neighbors are rightfully concerned about the noise and lights from weekday night games, and I doubt the installation of the stadium lights will bring an end to the controversy.