Best Sports Venue: Williams Brice Stadium

THE PHRASE “SATURDAYS DOWN SOUTH” takes on a meaning bigger than most people can imagine in the city of Columbia, South Carolina.

As crowds pile into the 77,559-person stadium, excitement brews when the crowd hears the tune “Hold My Hand” by Hootie & the Blowfish play over the speaker system. From the Carolina Band’s pregame playing of the fight song to the run-out song “2001: A Space Odyssey” alongside thousands of rally towels swinging in the air, Williams-Brice Stadium makes everyone feel like they are home.

Every single 2024 home Gamecock Football game was sold out, and it is no surprise that the stadium earned the title of Best Sports Venue for the eighth year in a row. The student experience at Willy-B, as it is affectionately known, is one of excitement and energy.

“You walk in, and everyone is so excited to be there,” fourth-year journalism student Sydney Dunlap said. “I really feed off of the energy of the crowd in that stadium.”

Williams-Brice Stadium brings people together for the love of the Gamecocks, the love of the university and the love of football.