Stadiums that could have been Multi-Purpose

Discussing stadiums that could have been multipurpose
My Twitter - / realpatrickmcl
Join my Discord: / discord

[@MaxwellWarawa]

I mean, you can say Rogers Centre wasn’t supposed to be or it shouldn’t have but the Argos were more of the main tenant in the early years and it was the 1982 Grey Cup and it’s rain is what led to the Skydome being built.

[@brianstacey2679]

The Superdome hosted mostly college baseball in its career. They used to have an annual even called the Winn Dixie Showdown, which was a 3-game series pitting LSU, Tulane, and UNO versus 3 schools from another state. Most of the pictures you are showing of the Superdome come from that event. They disabled the Plaza Level seats from moving early in the 2000s, taking away the ability to host baseball. Now, in the latest renovation, they solidified the Plaza Level sideline seats even more by getting rid of the big metal bridges you used to have to cress to get from the concourse to the seats and making a big giant concourse instead. So, the way they do the Final Four now is totally different from the 80s and 90s because the Plaza Level sections do not move anymore.

[@NathanMoist]

If you never thought of Rogers Centre as multi purpose it must not look that bad for baseball. They would never have built it for baseball only. Just talking in circles. It was also home to the Raptors and various soccer games. Maximizing the use of the facility. Just another video of poor research by the creator.

[@good_teanice_house6789]

The Rogers Centre outfield seats were never "Locked" as this guy mentions, nor did they ever interfere with the football configuration. More research would have shown that the 100 level seats slid on a track to make the sideline bleachers for football. Go Jays Go!! 🇨🇦🏆🏆🇨🇦

[@dickensonfarms]

I always found the seating arrangement for the CFL was better than for the Jays

[@josephhenderson5800]

The Superdome has done it all: Men’s Final Four College Football National Championships Super Bowls Wrestlemanias 30 & 34

[@kevinkrilow2474]

BC Place in Vancouver was identical to the RCA Dome, and was specifically built for an MLB team to come to Vancouver

[@selfdo]

A few exhibition games ("pre-season") were indeed played there, I believe between the Seattle Mariners and the Montreal Expos. Although it'd "do" as an MLB stadium, the issues of Canada's mandated health care laws, which impose significantly higher labor costs, all but drove a viable PCL franchise (the Vancouver Canadians) out of BC (IDK if they played any games at BC Place, their home field was Nat Bailey Stadium), not that we in Sacramento MIND, as they became the very successful Sacramento River Cats. While the Blue Jays have enough of a metro area (five million and counting...) and big enough corporate sponsorship to overcome the higher cost of doing business in Canada, and probably a second incarnation of the Montreal Expos, given something less cavernous than "Stade Olympique" could possibly succeed, the rest of Canada's metros, Vancouver included, don't seem to have the population and business base to support any AMERICAN major-league level teams. Vancouver did have the NBA's Grizzlies from 1995 to 2001, which relocated to Memphis for the 2001-2002 season and kept the name, as one of the ill-fated World Football League teams played in Memphis also as the "Grizzlies" and actually did well...er., for that league, anyway.

[@kevinkrilow2474]

@@selfdo They did! Edgar Martinez blew his knee on the astro turf and that was the end of Vancouver's hopes

[@EmotionallyExhausted]

It was very close, but not identical. The Metrodome and RCA Dome had American football dimensions. BC Place had to accommodate the extra 30 yards of the CFL field (110 yards between the end zones, and two 20-yard end zones instead of 10-this field at the time wasn't even a "regulation" CFL field, as the end zones were supposed to be 25 yards deep, but they literally ran out of room). If you want to see the difference, just search for that one picture of BC Place in its baseball configuration that's easy to find. The ridiculous amount of foul space down the first base line is where the end zone stopped. Similar pictures of the Metrodome don't show anywhere near as much space between the foul line and the seats.

[@EmotionallyExhausted]

@@kevinkrilow2474 I think it was a sliding pit, not the turf itself. Which was bad. They didn't mix in enough clay with the sand, and it was full of sinkholes.

[@DebitAdams]

The Silverdome was initially planned to be multipurpose for baseball but they abandoned it due costs.

[@paladin677]

Closing Tiger Stadium in favor of playing baseball in the Silverdome would possibly have been the worst decision ever made in sports.

[@davidlafleche1142]

The Lions players hated that place. The Astroturf was horrible.

[@DebitAdams]

@davidlafleche1142 All the players hated early domes. Even some outdoor stadiums like Three Rivers tried Astro Turf.

[@DebitAdams]

@paladin677 At the time, it would have been normal. It was a classic park. I am surprised Tiger Park stayed open as long as it did. You can still see in Google Map history.

[@tylerpuszczewicz2535]

Actually, the Tigers refused to leave Tigers Stadium and play far away from Detroit, so the Tigers managed to play in Tigers Stadium a little bit longer.

[@harryhighland591]

Re: the Superdome: In the early 1970's the Cleveland Indians made an agreement to play up to thirty regular-season games in the Superdome, which at the time was under construction. That agreement was nixed when Vernon Stouffer sold the team to Nick Mileti in 1972.

[@91_C4_FL]

Tropicana Field has hosted football (arena, college, and NFL practices), plus the NHL on top of the MLB. It's truly America's Ballpark lol.

[@frankbotello6078]

The Alamodome has had an amazing life.NBA championships, concerts, boxing matches, j lo filming Selena. NBA attendance record. Baseball games, Alamo bowl, many football events and final fours. The saints played there too. Its history is amazing and I would love to tell you about this amazing building. It made me fall in love with all stadiums

[@LeonardWeirich-gq2gp]

The Caesar's Superdome was once home to the New Orleans Night of the Arena Football League (1991-92)

[@vinylordie1301]

Awesome to see old photos of the Superdome. Very cool. Also not sure why baseball never really caught on around here

[@roberta.5967]

“If the Metrodome and the Pontiac Silverdome had a baby, it would be the RCA Dome…” 😂 💀 😭

[@higgy04]

I thought it was both BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the RCA (nee Hoosier) Dome in Indianapolis.

[@frankisfunny2007]

Camden Yards was in talks of being a multipurpose stadium when they were working on getting Camden Yards. Even being a dome. There are concept artists' renditions for, what we now know as, Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Thank goodness neither happened!

[@gregsells8549]

Arlington Stadium did host college football with UT-Arlington until about 1977, when some of the baseball seating was locked in to make football impossible. UTA built its own stadium but later dropped the sport. Arlington Stadium was too small for the NFL anyway. From some Dallas news station videos, the football configuration at Arlington Stadium was similar to the Oakland Coliseum, with the gridiron in the outfield. As the minor-league Turnpike Stadium, there was a movable stand for football and it hosted a Division II playoff called the Pecan Bowl. Ironically, Arlington Stadium's replacement (now called Choctaw Stadium) has been turned into a football facility used by high schools and the XFL/UFL Arlington Renegades, and in turn Globe Life Field has also hosted football with a couple of Army-Air Force matchups and high school playoffs.

[@jaylucien669]

Thought UTA played there before the bleachers were added.

[@davidlafleche1142]

They did move the seats a few times, but it was very hard to do and it tore up the outfield.

[@jaylucien669]

@@davidlafleche1142 I can imagine. Man, I'd love to see a pic of that.

[@EmotionallyExhausted]

BC Place in Vancouver was a virtual clone of the Metrodome, too, just with a slightly larger playing area to accommodate the Canadian football configuration. It did host MLB exhibition games, but it had a similar problem with the upper deck over-hang. It was only 19 inches, though, I think. Also, you can see actual footage of the Superdome baseball configuration on YT. Some college tournament from the 80s.

[@selfdo]

Detroit's Tiger Stadium had a right field upper deck overhang, wasn't it about TEN FEET, and no one complained!

[@richardbernstein6026]

RCA Dome hosted the 1985 NBA All Star game and later some final fours. And some other college hoops games. So RCA Dome WAS a multi purpose stadium.

[@davidlafleche1142]

The only thing wrong with Arlington Stadium was the hellish hot weather. Other than that, it wasn't bad. The Superdome did get a tryout in 1977, when the Minor League New Orleans Pelicans played there. It also hosted a few exhibition games. But MLB never took this place seriously. Rogers Center is still a huge improvement over Ecch-sibition Stadium. But 55,000 is too small for the NFL. The RCA Dome was exactly like the Metrodome. So what if the balcony sticks out? It did at Tiger Stadium. The exterior of the Alamodome looks like it was built around 1960, like some of those goofy looking suburban houses. Baseball just doesn't fit.

[@jaylucien669]

1. Arlington Stadium eventually got an upper deck above home plate. 2. The Rangers didn't get out of there fast at all. It was their home for over 20 seasons. 3. There wasn't a bad seat in the place. Saw many games there. 4. Before the Rangers got here and the bleachers were added, the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks football team played some home games there. 5. Yes it was a s-hole.

[@davidlafleche1142]

I liked it.

[@jaylucien669]

@@davidlafleche1142 I did too but I have to call a duck a duck. But it was our s-hole lol.

[@S_marengo]

Rogers Center also hosted Raptors games

[@alserranojr4945]

The right field line in Fenway Park is 301 feet.

[@davidlafleche1142]

Oddly, it is hard to hit a home run into that corner, and nobody ever hit one over the right field roof.

[@nortonhatfield7312]

At one, all three Seattle sports teams, the mariners, the Seahawks, and the supersonics played in the same stadium, the king dome, although that stadium wasn't meant for basketball, it was too big for a basketball.

[@johnsamoilis6379]

The RCA dome had bleachers instead of normal seats in the Upper Level

[@selfdo]

I doubt that any thoughts of hosting the big college teams at then-Turnpike Stadium in Arlington were seriously pursued. The Cotton Bowl, some 20 miles to the east, had already hosted both the NFL and AFL incarnations of the Dallas Texans (the NFL team legally folded, for tax purposes, but effectively became a second Baltimore Colts franchise that played there from 1953 to 1983 before relocating to Indianapolis, the AFL team, playing "second fiddle" to the NFL expansion Cowboys, moved to Kansas City for the 1963 season, becoming the Chiefs), and was sufficing, at least for the time being when the minor league baseball park opened in 1965, but plans were already in the works for Texas Stadium in Irving, simply waiting out the "bidding war" for talent that the NFL was involved with versus the AFL at the time. With SMU "fat, dumb, and happy" in the Cotton Bowl, the North Texas State program ("Mean Green") not that big at the time, and TCU happy in their digs in Fort Worth, it doesn't seem obvious what college or pro team would have considered this ballpark, then not well-suited for football or even soccer. Although the problem of the weather just being too damned hot and HUMID in North Texas for the bulk of the MLB season was never satisfactorily resolved, as attendance problems for the Texas Rangers and, once the spectacle of Henry Aaron chasing the career HR record in Atlanta was over, for the Atlanta Braves, the idea of a domed stadium was still not finding acceptance with municipalities, given then the huge costs, especially given that a indoor-capable stadium at the Arlington site (which, of course, EVENTUALLY happened some 60 years after Turnpike Stadium opened) wouldn't host another major pro franchise aside from the Rangers. Houston's Astrodome, sure, was a huge success, but having the Oilers, who by then were gaining acceptance with football fans as a "major" pro sports team, as well as the Astros, as well as aggressive marketing of the facility for concerts, shows, exhibitions, and so on made it profitable. The final configuration of what became Arlington Stadium was, IMO, actually quite good, with decent sightlines and a well-fitting capacity, but the facility had by the early 1990s outlived its usefulness. What's baffling is why, at that point, the Rangers built the "Ballpark at Arlington" (presently known as Choctaw Stadium), given that it STILL had the WEATHER problem, being outdoor ONLY! Granted, attendance was good, and the Rangers had some great years there, but only with the present Globe Life Park have they finally addressed the weather problem with a moveable roof and AIR CONDITIONING...the place IS a great, if rather SPENDY, place to watch an MLB game!

[@nortonhatfield7312]

Could the Pontiac silver dome have hosted baseball games?

[@MrGregorSF]

The Rangers played at Arlington for 21 years. That’s not moving out fast. MLB used to play in some sketchy places, this was one of them. Roger’s wasn’t supposed to be multipurpose, it was for decades.

[@kyle.sterritt]

Angel the Great coming in clutch again

[@Angelgreat]

it's ANGELGREAT

[@stevenbauer4799]

How about mlb in the pontiac silverdome? That idea was thrown around at one time. Even soccer was contemplated. Were gonna play it with one level. Top off second level with roof. mls said NO to indoor non grass stadium. Even a start up hockey league during '04-'05 missed nhl season was gonna play out of silverdome. Imploded-on second try-in 2019.

[@davidlafleche1142]

When they were planning the Silverdome, the owners asked the Tigers if they were interested. They said no. So the dome never hosted a baseball game.

[@stevenbauer4799]

@@davidlafleche1142 I didn't say mlb played in the silverdome. I said it was just an idea, a dumb one, that was thrown out there that wasn't taken seriously.

[@kamsandwich6990]

Saw guns n roses at the Superdome

[@dacokc]

Problem is that 50,000 plus were never going to watch all 200 MLB games… makes them over built… look like nobody cares with half empty stadiums.

[@Gage_Brumley]

And each sport has a problem with sight lines. With football the lower bowl seating is usually super far away from the sidelines and there are dead zones in the corners with no seating. For baseball there are way too many seats and the upper decks are usually too far away

[@canadianmtb_8275]

Sir I would have to highly disagree with you I seen the Toronto ARGOS at the Rodgers centre aka (skydome) so many times in the early 2000s as a kid and I loved it the atmosphere was amazing! And you got to talk to the players and coaches cause of how close you were to the field is was amazing!!!! ❤❤

[@stevenbauer4799]

A's with their a l worst dwindling attendance late '70's flirted with n o and would have played out of superdome which had saints/jazz playing there at the time. Superdome would have been three purpose stadium. Good thing mlb stayed away from muggy hot humid n o. Already got that with tx. strangers, astros. hot ass az. d backs..

[@supremeb3563]

Is that Atlanta's Ted Turner at 3:08? Silhouette looks like him.

[@tylergodefroy8713]

nothing worse than playing football in a stadium where they play baseball

[@davidlafleche1142]

The best ones were Fenway Park, Tiger Stadium and Mile High Stadium.

[@mrnasty02106]

@@davidlafleche1142 Wrigley Field WAS another one. Hence the names of the two teams (Cubs, Bears).

[@davidlafleche1142]

@@mrnasty02106 Wrigley Field was terrible for football. One end zone was only eight yards. At least the other three could easily fit a football field.

[@mrnasty02106]

@@davidlafleche1142 Thanks for saying that! Wrigley Field sucks for anything. I have never been there in my life. Where I live now (Stu-page County), about 75% of people have (multiple times). The Bears should have had a larger and better venue, before they moved to Soldier Field. At least you didn't have to go thru landmines to get there.

[@jeffluhn4514]

1st

[@berryy21]

the two things bro talks about 1. 9/11 2. stadiums

[@tyrikbailey7657]

Lmao!!

[@91_C4_FL]

3. Titanic 4. The Republican Party

[@DarrylWPerry1789]

The UT San Antonio Roadrunners football team plays home games in the Alamodome, it's also home to the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL (formerly of the XFL).