Nadine Babu is correct. TCF Bank Stadium is a failure.
It's not just the Gopher's new football stadium that's a loser. It's stadiums in general, especially the 'build it and they will come' stadiums.
The proponents, and the status quo of thinking, are typically accompanied by a handful of dead arguments. One of the most prominent being that of associated economic development. If we build it, the developers will come! Unfortunately this commonplace argument is based little in reality. In fact, based on the large subsidy and lost opportunity cost, the argument can be made that places like TCF Bank Stadium actually have a negative economic impact (if you're looking for proof, just view the before and after photos of stadium development).
The same argument is made with athletes. If we build it, they will come. We'll get better recruits? That's not true either. History tells us otherwise.
That's not what Babu is talking about. She wants a better game day experience. Unfortunately her suggestions are unlikely to help much.
1. We lose, a lot.
It's true that Gopher football is awful, especially when compared to the rest of the Big 10. College football is a cultural experience, and she's right in pointing out that it is missing at the University of Minnesota. Part of the problem is that the University of Minnesota has a much different setup than other large universities: it's in the city.
If you live in Iowa City, you go to the Hawkeye's game. That's it. That's your option. The same holds true for most all large universities with big football programs (with a few notable exceptions). The urban city campus gives students options not available at other universities - that is competition for time and money. This breeds differing wants and needs - many of which are not associated with collegiate sports.