Why the lighting at the new Atlanta stadium looks weird for Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee

No. 25 Tennessee is playing Georgia Tech Monday at Atlanta’s brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is maybe the most wildly extravagant football stadium ever built.

During ABC’s broadcast of the game there Saturday between Alabama and Florida State, more than a few people have noticed that Alabama’s crimson uniform tops looked redder than usual:

The jerseys didn’t seem that red to me. But if you noticed a little more redness than usual in Bama’s look, there’s a pretty good explanation for that.

The venue uses LED lighting, which it says is “softer and brighter” than what we’re used to seeing. Those lights are also more eco-friendly, the stadium says.

During Falcons preseason games, the stadium has looked super bright to a lot of people watching on television. Bama’s crimson is a darker shade of red, so if the stadium’s brighter in general, it makes sense that Bama looked more cherry.

I’m told by colleagues who are at the building on Monday that the venue looks regularly lit and good in person. This is very much a TV thing.

The light’s also really focused on the field, kind of like it is during basketball games at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

It’s also hot on the field, apparently:

This stadium’s going to host three more massive college games this season: the SEC Championship Game, the Peach Bowl, and the Playoff National Championship.