What NFL stadium now seats more than Martinsville?

News item: Latest expansion of FedEx Field boosts capacity to 91,655.

Comment: There’s probably a clause in Joe Gibbs’ contract that says, “Stadium must have more seats than Martinsville (86,000) by 2004 and more than Lowe’s Motor Speedway (167,000) by 2008.”

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Trivia question: Arrange the following according to their capacity, from biggest to smallest: FedEx, Bristol Motor Speedway, Talladega, Rockingham, Darlington (answer later in column).

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Even if Dan Snyder fills the place, it won’t be the biggest regular-season crowd in NFL history — not by a long shot. A game between the Rams and the 49ers at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1957 drew 102,368. The Rams were the darlings of L.A. back then. For three home games in ‘58, they had attendances of 100,470, 100,202 and 95,082. (They also packed in 95,985 for a preseason game against the Redskins in ‘51.)

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The week after drawing 102,368, the Rams went to Green Bay and played before 19,540 — a difference of 82,828 fans. That has to be a record, too (one that might never be broken).

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FYI: The Raiders topped 90,000 several times during their years at the Coliseum. The most recent: In ‘92, when a game against the Cowboys attracted 92,488 — 833 more than the capacity of FedEx.

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I’ve got three words for you, Dan: Standing room only.

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By the way, don’t tell me the Redskins’ boss isn’t old-fashioned. With this latest refurbishing of FedEx, he’s brought back the obstructed-view seat!

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