All Purpose Stadium Thread

[cmm]

I like having more foul territory. It's one of the cool things about Oakland (or at least was - not sure if that's stil the case).

Yeah, they still have a lot of foul territory:

There was/is nothing cool about the Mausoleum. Large foul territory is just one of many drawbacks resulting from the poor design.

I don't mind it. It's nice to have some variety in ballpark dimensions and all the new places have tiny slivers of foul ground. Though I'm sure Athletics fans with tickets wouldn't mind being closer to the field.

[RyanB06]

There was/is nothing cool about the Mausoleum. Large foul territory is just one of many drawbacks resulting from the poor design.

This picture begs to differ:

[PhantomDreamer]

There was/is nothing cool about the Mausoleum. Large foul territory is just one of many drawbacks resulting from the poor design.

This picture begs to differ:

Differ with what? The Coliseum was always a bad baseball facility. That picture doesn't prove anything, not to mention it has not looked like that for close to 20 years.

[guest23]

There was/is nothing cool about the Mausoleum. Large foul territory is just one of many drawbacks resulting from the poor design.

This picture begs to differ:

Differ with what? The Coliseum was always a bad baseball facility. That picture doesn't prove anything, not to mention it has not looked like that for close to 20 years.

Well the only thing I can even think of is that I have a sudden urge for for a Winston Cigarette.

[mediagiant]

Basketball setups in stadiums designed for football or baseball always intrigue me. They're horrible, but not in a Barclays Centre hockey configuration way. More in a "they did that? huh..." way.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis has the same issues...which is one of the many reasons why Indy probably won't get an NHL team anytime soon (large pic):

I'm from Indianapolis, and I'll say a couple things.

First of all, Bankers Life Fieldhouse is AWESOME. For basketball. If you haven't had the chance to see it, it's a real treat. It has a retro feel, sort of the Camden Yards of the NBA. A lot of the advertising is HAND-PAINTED! And of course the new scoreboard that you see in the picture is epic. The original one from 1999 wasn't bad at all, but this new one just blows it away.

Secondly, there was NEVER any thought that Indianapolis would get an NHL team. This is just a soft market for hockey. The Indiana Ice (also shown in the photo) are a USHL team -- junior league amateurs, not even minor league. We've had several minor league teams go bust, including the former Indianapolis Ice. But we're getting a new ECHL team called the Indy Fuel that will play the renovated Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, which has less than half the capacity of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Hopefully the new team will be successful. So it was no big deal that they built it too small to accommodate hockey normally. It makes the Fieldhouse more intimate for Pacers basketball with excellent sight lines. There are other NBA arenas like that -- obviously Barclays Center in Brooklyn but also Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte and AT&T Center in San Antonio.

[mediagiant]

I really like the idea of using stadiums/arenas for multiple sports when it is done correctly. BC Place is a good example. The stadium was recently renovated primarily to house Canadian football and soccer. When football is being played, it looks like this:

But when the shorter soccer pitch is used, it looks like this:

Seats are added on all sides to make for a better atmosphere, and the top tier of seats are hidden by large tarps. Interestingly, when Canada's womens national team played Mexico there not too long ago, they didnt add the extra seats of the soccer setup.

Wow that's really neat. I envisioned something like that for Lucas Oil Stadium to make a more intimate basketball configuration other than a Final Four. Being able to lower the ceiling would have been great for the end zone basketball configuration at Lucas Oil that they used for the Sweet 16 / Elite 8 games last year. Maybe if they could have done that at the Alamodome it would have felt more suited for Spurs basketball.

[TheStoicPaisano]

^I'm pretty sure they did tarp off the 300 level for Spurs games at the Dome, they do for the Army All-American Bowl. Spurs were never gonna be there long term anyway, the Alamodome is one of the most sterile "blah" arenas in existence. That's saying something as it's just now turning 21.

EDIT: They tarped off for the 98/04/08 Final Fours, topping out at 44k and change. Since then, it's gone to football stadiums.

[PhantomDreamer]

^I'm pretty sure they did tarp off the 300 level for Spurs games at the Dome, they do for the Army All-American Bowl. Spurs were never gonna be there long term anyway, the Alamodome is one of the most sterile "blah" arenas in existence. That's saying something as it's just now turning 21.

EDIT: They tarped off for the 98/04/08 Final Fours, topping out at 44k and change. Since then, it's gone to football stadiums.

The Spurs played at the Alamodome for nearly a decade. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when it opened, wasn't it thought of as a long term replacement for the HemisFair Arena?

[DEAD!]

Sydney Cricket Ground getting ready for MLB Opening Day:

If this was a regular MLB venue, it would probably be regarded as the worst in modern history. Way too much fair territory seating miles away and huge amounts of foul territory.

Always wondered, but is there a reason why cricket grounds seem to be built with stands placed at random locations? I would think the best ones would be built like the MCG or the Docklands stadium, with stands basically equal height around the pitch.

Also, why is MLB opening at the SCG? Seems like it would make more sense to play at the Sydney Showground given that it was originally built with baseball in mind.

The Sydney Showground, is now a 25,000 seat AFL venue. I am not sure why the MLB is opening in Sydney. I guess it's to tap into the Australian market. They probably won't go to the MCG or Dockands (Etihad Stadium) because it would interfere with the AFL whose season starts next week.

From what I've read, the backstop seating was just recently rebuilt, and they designed it to allow for the dugouts. My issue with the set up is the outfield seating. They are going to be quite far away. I am interested to see if any foul balls will hit the scoreboard.

Also note that the camera angle in that pitcure is facing NORTH.

[dfwabel]

The Spurs lease with the city and Alamodome was only for ten years and very early they were looking for a better option in terms of revenue and suites. It was always temporary

In fact, Ogden (now part of AEG) was looking to move the team from San Antonio to Anaheim following the failure of the Spurs to get their first plan for an arena in San Antonio when a local school district decided not to raise taxes to build for them.

[PhantomDreamer]

From the USCLibraries, In 1953, 5 years prior to the Dodgers' arrival, LA considered squeezing a baseball diamond in the Coliseum. Had the Dodgers elected to play in the Rose Bowl, it would have been configured in a similar fashion.

[VictoriaGooner]

Sydney Cricket Ground getting ready for MLB Opening Day:

If this was a regular MLB venue, it would probably be regarded as the worst in modern history. Way too much fair territory seating miles away and huge amounts of foul territory.

Always wondered, but is there a reason why cricket grounds seem to be built with stands placed at random locations? I would think the best ones would be built like the MCG or the Docklands stadium, with stands basically equal height around the pitch.

Also, why is MLB opening at the SCG? Seems like it would make more sense to play at the Sydney Showground given that it was originally built with baseball in mind.

The Sydney Showground, is now a 25,000 seat AFL venue. I am not sure why the MLB is opening in Sydney. I guess it's to tap into the Australian market. They probably won't go to the MCG or Dockands (Etihad Stadium) because it would interfere with the AFL whose season starts next week.

From what I've read, the backstop seating was just recently rebuilt, and they designed it to allow for the dugouts. My issue with the set up is the outfield seating. They are going to be quite far away. I am interested to see if any foul balls will hit the scoreboard.

Also note that the camera angle in that pitcure is facing NORTH.

I am a real fan of SCG, Old Trafford, and MCG for cricket grounds...amazing views and lots of space to hit.

[DaytonBlue]

Basketball setups in stadiums designed for football or baseball always intrigue me. They're horrible, but not in a Barclays Centre hockey configuration way. More in a "they did that? huh..." way.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis has the same issues...which is one of the many reasons why Indy probably won't get an NHL team anytime soon (large pic):

These basketball-centric arenas are fabulous ideas for cities that will never get NHL teams. The views for basketball are way better. Memphis, where I live, is fortunate enough to have FedExForum, which is Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a southern twist. The views would be a lot worse there if they had planned for a full hockey rink. The Forum has hosted exactly one NHL preseason hockey game.

I have sat all over the Forum. When I went to a preseason NBA game at Scottrade Center in St. Louis and the USA pre Olympic basketball game in DC my eyes were strained since I was significantly farther from the court than comparable seats in Memphis.

It wouldn't surprise me if the next generation of arenas either have movable stands (kind of like Saitama Super Arena) or if NBA teams who share with NHL teams start demanding their own "basketball only" arenas on the taxpayer dime.

On the flip side, if you build basketball-centric you probably want to be sure an NHL team won't come along. (i.e. Brooklyn)

[Popmart]

Wow, really?

"Poland’s largest stadium is expected to set new record as the largest ever venue for indoor windsurfing event. 3,000 tons of water will fill the playing field, while 34 large blowers will create the wind."

http://stadiumdb.com/news/2014/03/warsaw_recordbreaking_windsurfing_event_at_narodowy

[Buffalo]

Here are some shots of the greatest band in the land, the Grateful Dead, playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. Not sure if these pics are from 1986 or 1989. The Dead played at Rich Stadium, as it was known then, named for the hometown dairy-free coffee creamer company, quite often. They always kicked ass in Buffalo, and upstate/western New York in general. Legendary shows.

here they are shredding:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7OxHbhHlak#t=2079

[dbadefense1990]

From the USCLibraries, In 1953, 5 years prior to the Dodgers' arrival, LA considered squeezing a baseball diamond in the Coliseum. Had the Dodgers elected to play in the Rose Bowl, it would have been configured in a similar fashion.

I find it interesting how this design plan had the outfield evenly constituting the Coliseum's arch pillars and torch flame, whereas the actual field-of-play upon the Dodgers arrival had this design shift to the left, creating the short left-outfield yardage.

[Beluga4]

Here is Busch Stadium for a Soccer Match

[The Golden One]

Wow, really?

"Poland’s largest stadium is expected to set new record as the largest ever venue for indoor windsurfing event. 3,000 tons of water will fill the playing field, while 34 large blowers will create the wind."

http://stadiumdb.com/news/2014/03/warsaw_recordbreaking_windsurfing_event_at_narodowy

interesting

[Buffalo]

Wow, really?

"Poland’s largest stadium is expected to set new record as the largest ever venue for indoor windsurfing event. 3,000 tons of water will fill the playing field, while 34 large blowers will create the wind."

http://stadiumdb.com/news/2014/03/warsaw_recordbreaking_windsurfing_event_at_narodowy

interesting

are you sure this isn't a really overdone polak joke? :-P

[nash61]

Sydney Cricket Ground