The Tragedy of the Rubber Bowl

[@FivePointsVids]

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[@LCSteeler16]

It’s a shame that this stadium was treated the way that it was

[@preposteroustwaddlecock9469]

I’m from the Akron-Kent area and pass the Bowl all the time. It’s sad to see such a cool piece of history abandoned and in pieces.

[@noelramirez1551]

This is how i feel when i pas daytona beach and watching videos on KZbin about when spring break used to be big here and never got to go when it was big lol

[@FookinApprentice]

@@noelramirez1551 that’s because Daytona became a cesspool, if you can make the drive try St Aug, a lot nicer

[@KkidzZ.]

@@FookinApprentice yea I grew up here and now everyone goes to NSB

[@FookinApprentice]

@@KkidzZ. I grew up in NSB, it’s grown too much 😂

[@danielmichaelfleiss2141]

This abandonment of the Akron Pros Stadium is what originally put the Buffalo All Americans NFL team out of business, this abandonment story goes as far back as the 1920s.

[@tleoipl37]

Still a better stadium than the Colosseum or FedEx field

[@greenwalltree]

Lol

[@CCL0286]

Lmao facts

[@pauliep3838]

What's a "Colosseum"? Interesting.

[@tleoipl37]

@@pauliep3838 Oakland As one

[@vibesothc]

@tleoipl37 the one in Oakland is called the "Coliseum"

[@cameronbowshlagger2722]

I actually played a couple pee-wee games there as a Kid. It was awesome to get to go to (at the time) such a large stadium. Really sad to see the fate the city has made for it. I pass it occasionally and it really is a perfect symbol for the Akron area. Now with alleged plans to bury the stadium, it will serve as a historical reminder one it's uncovered generations from now of glory days gone by in the Rust Belt.

[@SteveNeuge]

I’ve never spoken to anyone living near Akron who didn’t look back fondly on this stadium, even if they only attended during its decline. Thanks for doing this video.

[@WMDistraction]

It was still viewed fondly after they moved to the new stadium. People would feel bad for me that I never had the opportunity to attend a game at the Rubber Bowl.

[@isaacsmith5611]

I was there today. They’ve torn down everything except for the hillside that supports the street above the “rubber bowl” wall. They just started dumping dirt down the remainder of the stairs and the field is completely gouged up.

[@sirchinathewise]

Perfect way to end a day with a five points stadium video

[@falloutfan6649]

From what I read the plan now is to literally bury the parts of the stadium that can’t be demolished then remove the field and what’s left that can be removed in order to finally be rid of it for good. But it’s crazy that there’s gonna be a partially demolished stadium literally buried

[@IRuiz805]

Same with Dodger Stadium, there's a community buried under Dodger Stadium, there is actually an elementary school buried under 3rd base

[@Averagejoemk262]

@@IRuiz805 that’s a big third base

[@IRuiz805]

@@Averagejoemk262the school is buried under 3rd base, by the Dodgers dugout and where some seats and part of left field all have the school buried underneath them

[@sawmill035]

It'll give archeologists in 2000 years something to do. Positives

[@lowery02]

Pretty crazy how close that highway was ABOVE the stadium

[@lordmikethegreat]

The Rubber Bowl will not "bounce" back? I see what you did there!!

[@C_bizkit02]

As of now, it’s just a hangout spot for dirtbike and quad riders. We meet up here quite often in the warmer months.

[@evanhartenstein]

Much respect for the work u put in ❤️

[@FivePointsVids]

I appreciate that

[@evanhartenstein]

@@FivePointsVids no problem. keep working hard. the results show.

[@ST0NE_206]

Ohio stadiums are doomed from the start

[@ryangordon133]

True lol

[@parkercrossland410]

Ohio was doomed from the start

[@kendraftman]

True, and it includes First Energy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns a.k.a the Worst NFL team of all time.

[@ProfessionalFloridian]

Only in Ohio

[@cicero_21]

I visited this stadium a few months ago. It’s open to the public and now being used as a dirt bike park.

[@tommymaroon4189]

My dad went to Akron in the late 80s. He has so many stories about the Rubber Bowl and Gerry Faust era. It sucks what the stadium has become now

[@owen_som]

I was just reading online that Akron City Council approved a plan just a couple weeks ago to fill in and cover the remainder of the stadium with dirt since it can’t be demolished

[@russell2329]

I went there with my dad when I was 4. Thanks for making this video. Great memory.

[@sirokat]

This stadium gives me vibes of another historic sports venue in Ohio that slowly rotted away until a painful death (literally) struck it in the face. Hara Arena in Trotwood, OH (Dayton Metro Area) was a small, but cozy arena that opened in the late 50’s and hosted some of the largest events a 5,500 seat arena could possibly hold. It was mostly recognized as being one of the literal cathederals of wrestling, with some of the very first WWF events, one of which included the beast of a human being that Andre the Giant was. It was also very well known for ice hockey, as the Dayton Gems tore up the IHL in the late 60’s to mid 70’s, in front of regularly large and raucous crowds. As the years went by, less and less renovations were made to the arena, and it began to fall into a generally dirty state, and was not very well kept at all. By the 2010’s the arena hosted very few events, and was only able to host two hockey teams in the FHL over only a few short years. The arena was closed and abandoned in 2016, and would soon become a hotspot for urban explorers, however, the worst was still yet to come for the old barn. On the night of May 27th, 2019, a soon to be large and violent tornado touched down west of Brookville, OH, and would soon rapidly strengthen as it headed into Trotwood. Standing in the direct path of this large, invisible, tornado, was the famed Hara Arena. The Arena took a near-direct hit from the EF4 tornado’s 170mph winds, and large portions of the roof and walls were completely ripped off of the structure. Unfortunately, this tornado meant the official demise of any plans to renovate and re-open the facility. The damage already done by mother nature over three years of abandonment was considerably worsened by the tornado, and the building had already suffered $7.5 million dollars in damages. On September 25, 2020, demolition officially began, and was completed by February 12, 2021. The letters of the Arena’s iconic sign were auctioned off for charity, however the seats inside the arena, which were also to be auctioned off, simply could not be, as most of them had suffered too much damage from the tornado and urban explorers. Really a tragic end to an otherwise historically underrated arena.

[@lunarumbreon7699]

I love bowl style stadiums it’s just sad to see that this is a lot of the time their fate

[@ProjectRaijin]

Sad to see such a unique stadium die, looks like it used to be a really fun atmosphere to catch a game even if you were just chilling on the hillside

[@kingjro2]

That last game was like a funeral except instead of burying the body properly, you just leave it above ground and let it rot.

[@maskedsonja5722]

I love these historical pieces you do of various stadiums and arenas. Id love to see more of this, old football, basketball, baseball, hockey arenas, esp ones that arent as visible

[@inherentmirth5180]

Great video, but it's hard to believe that you didn't even mention the very-historically-important Soap Box derby and Heisman Lodge, both right next to the stadium.

[@editorrbr2107]

This may as well be an homage to the entire Rust Belt.

[@MrDan708]

This place has been spotlighted in recent years by youtubers like Sal. Otherwise, many of us outside of Ohio would be unaware it still existed.

[@sirekumasutra7022]

Sal's Exlog series is SO GOOD. The Rubber Bowl is an underrated episode.

[@adzisme]

I saw an Akron/Kent State game there, with Julian Edelman at quarterback. There was not a bad seat in the house for football. There was far too much history for this venue to be abandoned as it has been.

[@pbarnes989]

Such a shame. I remember going to high school playoff games here in the early 2000's (saw both Maurice Clarett and Mario Manningham play here). The stadium was practically sold out and the environment was loud and rowdy. You would think you were at a CFB rivalry game. I understand the choice for UA to build an on campus stadium, but this was such an icon to the city. Hard to see it like this.

[@TheWinningWayz]

I’m from the Akron area and it’s sad just seeing this historical landmark leave us R.I.P 1940-2008😢

[@knutthompson7879]

In its day it was a nice little 30000 seat venue. Just a microcosm of Akron itself now.

[@jakefehrenbach7655]

My mom was in the marching band at Akron when she was in college. She still remembers games at the Rubber Bowl.

[@TheNewChevyRoll48]

If only Trojan bought this stadium just so it could perfect its reflection of Ohio being a meme state by becoming the Trojan Rubber Bowl

[@chuckinhouston9952]

I like it!

[@romelovesdan]

The Rolling Stones played there in 1972 for Heaven's sake!

[@Crzysquirrel124thst]

The track next to the Stadium is for Soap Box Derby racing and the winner gets locked in the stadium with their car while it’s inspected.

[@yadonious5005]

Lol wtf

[@mattwilson8772]

My father works as a police officer in Akron. Every year we go down to the race track by the rubber bowl to watch fireworks. I’ve always been so tempted to make my way into there and check everything out.

[@KorbinX]

Only went there once in 2006 or 2007, but it was a neat stadium. Shame it's been wasted since given the history.

[@hookmhorns91]

Thanks for covering the Rubber Bowl. I did a ton of my flight training at the adjacent Akron-Fulton Airport where I'd regularly get great views of the abandoned stadium. One thing I always thought was interesting was that the stadium lights where in front of the stands, likely to help with height rules for the airport but still interesting nonetheless.

[@ahhculdee]

Reminds me of Slapshoes lost raceways series.

[@MSU-DetroitFan]

Silverdome of College Football basically

[@darlenebunch6762]

I use to go there with my grandfather and along with my brother and cousin every year.

[@joereitz9491]

Legit a teenagers dream from 14-18. Go skate down the derby downs hill, smoke some weed, explore the stadium then hit up the huge skate park next door

[@steveg4082]

Mr. Points, your jokes are getting better.

[@spartaninvirginia]

Abandoned stadiums make me terribly sad.

[@danimalman3]

If it somehow becomes a baseball stadium that'd be amazing.

[@bobbyd4120]

The day you put out the short about this, the city announced they are going to finish the demolition

[@BlimpCityFeeder]

Appreciate the 411. Sounds like a good backdrop for a horror movie.

[@bigmax9603]

Man, I was interested after watching your „worst stadiums“ video, thanks for this man! 🤙

[@Heatherbob201]

We had band contests there when I was in high school (mid 80’s) 😕

[@PapaVanTwee5]

S1apSh0es did a video about Playland Park Speedway, a racetrack in South Bend, Indiana. There is very little left of it, but the bit of stands that are left are also there because they were afraid what it was holding up would fall. The track did hold NASCAR races in the 50s and 60s.

[@shimathew9316]

Played here in 98, was on the field when the Leftwitch damn near beat us on one on leg.

[@rtg3341]

Akron's only ranked win is football history 😭

[@D34thtig3r]

Great place to offroad now with all the trails

[@SpencerMahon]

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS FIVE!

[@amprosk]

I drive by this all the time, cool to see you cover it

[@johnsonwilliam1023]

Heck, he should’ve mentioned something about the soapbox derby track

[@daBEAGLE1017]

This could be a cool series featuring abandoned stadiums.

[@austynwright6612]

These videos are so good but I hate myself because during all the add reads I usually pick up my phone. The video all of a sudden is over then I have to watch it again to even remember what I clicked on it for. Sponsor's must be paying out well.

[@evian9999]

I was on UA's drumline the last few seasons the Zips played here. It was a cool stadium with tons of history, but it sucked how far away it was from the UA campus. Just imagine a couple thousand drunk college students having to get back to campus after a game...and you couldn't just walk there haha. The only cool part about it was our buses would get a huge police escort from campus all the way to the stadium, blowing through every red light!

[@Furiousprince97]

Did some research and discovered that even by today's standards, this was a relatively cheap stadium to build. Given the adjustment for inflation, the $546,000 in 1939 used to build the stadium equates to roughly $11.7 million in 2022.

[@barrybach3685]

You got me saying it was named after John Q. Rubber Esquire. I was like holy cow, that’s who rubber and this stadium is named after?? 🤣🤣🤣

[@dyoung12b]

Best place to watch a game I miss the Rubber Bowl

[@Sky_C]

I grew up in Akron, and even got accepted into Akron U (didn't go tho) It's a shame to see such a historic piece left to rot like this

[@ciesaro]

John Q Rubber Esquire. You had me there

[@fabianvera273]

Watching this I can't help but thinking about that little place out that is home of Austin City Limits, May Zilker Park never dies...

[@mattstein7954]

It looks like the bowl will be fully demolished here soon. The City Council agreed on November 28th that $750k will be spent to demolish the stadium, reinforce the hill it currently supports, and recreate the hillside. Soon nothing will remain of this historic venue...

[@JKSSubstandard]

As an architect, my question would be what could Akron use that the stadium could provide. Do they have an outdoor amphitheater for smaller concerts? Then could the portion of bowl that can't be removed be rehabbed into that purpose? Is there a tennis community? Field hockey? Could the whole thing be buried in place and turned into a park? There's lots of ways to redevelop something like that, it's just a matter of aligning vision, need and money

[@geoffa87]

Not much for tennis here, and small outdoor concerts usually go downtown to Lock 3. Bigger outdoor concerts usually go to Blossom Music center in the suburbs.

[@austinreed5805]

It’s sad that The Rubber Bowl has fallen into this kind of disrepair, especially when it can’t be bulldozed.

[@tomroutt7307]

The Glass Bowl is fine. I went there just two years ago while as a senoir undergraduate student and it is kept up to date. Kent State's stadium needs bulldozed.

[@austinreed5805]

@@tomroutt7307 The Rubber Bowl is what I meant. Idk why I misinterpreted it as The Glass Bowl. Lol

[@jabarijones8091]

The OVC is D1 - AA

[@Breedlove88]

“John Q Rubber, Esq” 😂😂

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Just leave the hill part as is. Make it a historic monument.

[@davemlbc]

Notice that the stadium lights were at sideline level, obstructing the view from the stands. When it was built I'm sure they didn't expect to need lights. After all, how could they predict the allure of mid-week MACtion? If you look at a satellite view of the stadium you'll see that it's near the end of Akron Airport's runway. (And while you're looking check out the ginormous blimp hangar). When they wanted lights they probably weren't allowed to install light masts so close to the runway. Among the problems that doomed the stadium a few of them couldn't have been predicted way back when it was built.

[@forgottenplaces9780]

No one even goes to infocision, even when they offer free tickets, pretty much a white elephant in akron

[@Thedominator-tr2su]

Shit now I kinda wanna go visit this. It’s only a 3 hour and 40 minute drive

[@robertcaven794]

You can see the Goodyear airship airdock from the Rubber Bowl. Such a cool historic place.

[@rtg3341]

It's definitely worth the trip!

[@donbean]

Good job.. thanks..

[@w.alan.21]

On the list of world tragedies, I'd have to say this ranks pretty low ... it got old and got replaced. Akron received state money to complete the demolition and the site is now remediated . Lots of memories there for sure..

[@brianlehman710]

Saw the Rolling Stones there in 1972.

[@brianharrigal9504]

Played CYO flag football here once in the 80’s. So much fun back then to play on artificial turf like the pros. It’s sad to see its decline, but understandable that the university would want a stadium on campus.

[@brettn4337]

I'm not from the area so don't know it's location to residential areas, but it seems a shame it can't be cleaned up and the playing field turned into a park or playground

[@geoffa87]

Akron native here, it's really not that close to a lot of houses. On the one side you have the airport and a busy street, the other you have GW Blvd which isn't pedestrian friendly.

[@Dannyedelman4231]

Wow, what a damn shame that it had to go out like that they should have found a purpose for it, like a high school football championship

[@aleczanderjenson486]

Good spot grew up exploring the ruins

[@filanfyretracker]

That load bearing nature could even be part of the issue with renovation of the facility. Its sat abandoned so long that I cant see anybody wanting to take chances on the concrete that remains. You cant rip it down and start over because the road might fall in and you do not want to be liable if one day that cement lets go and the road falls into a concert. Akron might at some point though have to pull off the bandaid. Close that road, set the charges and see what happens when they hit the boom button. And have some dirt and dump trucks staged if it does fall in.

[@BuccaneerBruce]

I played one game there in the early 90's. It was not good then.

[@91_C4_FL]

Great distraction from this TNF game!

[@thecheesesteak993]

As someone who lives and breathes Akron, Go Zips!

[@thisguyagain7857]

Great video.

[@chickenwing111]

Crumb rubber used on the turf field is nasty and should be treated like toxic waste.

[@Bryceb4223]

I wonder if they will donate the goal post to a highschool? Because mine could use some updated ones

[@jordanroberts1519]

I saw videos you made about how other sports owners got their money, but I can't find one for the MLB. Could you make one of those, please?

[@raygv12]

If it cant be fully demo’d for structural reasons, it seems like it would perfect place for a public park 🌳 turf is expensive. It would be a shame for it to go to waste

[@richarizard526]

I was like "damn he look like John Rockefeller"

[@christopherwebb3517]

8:58 - "Hey! You can't move that! That's a load-bearing rotting stadium!"

[@editorrbr2107]

Thanks!

[@FivePointsVids]

Wow!!! My first super thanks!! LEGEND

[@vibesothc]

John Q. Rubber, Esquire 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@wcsii]

Hey.... Gotta a question…. I’m 18 and new to history or newly found the love of history. I asked my grandfather about this but he gave me an explanation I don’t think I can repeat..……. Why do people throughout history give Jews a hard time? And do they deserve it????

[@81casperflip]

I'm just here waiting for a Colts/Matt Ryan vid to drop

[@chrisp679]

You oughta look up the saga of Hinchliffe Stadium in New Jersey when you get a chance, if you haven’t already. One of the last, if not the last, Negro League stadiums still standing and it was basically left to rot for most of the last 30 years.

[@johnsamoilis6379]

But is now being rehabilitated and renovated. It will host unaffiliated Minor League Baseball NJ Jackals come this spring.

[@chrisp679]

@@johnsamoilis6379 right, but it’s all the stuff that happened between the time they closed it and now that’s the fun part.

[@PariahEarth]

Nice. Van Halen kicks ass

[@chocolatechipslime]

Would have been nice to know that the stadium was supporting the road before they tore into half of the stadium and wasted all that money

[@ovadiadan]

3:08 Actually, $546,000 in 1939 is worth $11,694,259.42 in 2022 after adjusting for inflation. Which, from 1939-2022 there was a cumulative price increase of ~2,041% So, while funny, it's technically incorrect. It's not "easily a billion dollars in today's money." Other than that, great video!

[@adellis24]

Would love to see you do a collab with the Ohio based channel 'Forgotten Places'.

[@TBone31]

I know this is mostly unrelated but can you do a critiquing MAC football stadiums video?

[@joereitz9491]

Used to take so much acid and climb up the press box before they tore it down

[@ajbolt8427]

My dad played at Akron