Although Tropicana Field is entering it's 11th season for MLB in 2008, it was built far earlier than that. The Trop was initially began construction in 1986, with the intention to lure a relocated franchise. It was finished in 1990, still without any tenants. It took until 1993 to get a tenant, in this was the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL team. The stadium was renovated to accommodate the arena-style setting and the Lightning remained there until 1996 when they moved to their new arena in downtown Tampa. The Rays were awarded as a franchise in 1995 and began play in 1998, and have been the tenants ever since. As you can see, the Trop is clearly past due, being that contruction began in 1986, that means the design plans for the Trop were about that old. The Trop is outdated among current trends and is past it's prime, even though the team is 11 years old next year