The Evolution of Professional Baseball and Football Structures in the United States, 1850 to the Present: Toward an Ideal Type

Home , Angel Stadium

Chad Seifried Louisiana State University

Professional sport facilities such as Lambeau Field or Fenway Park possess a unique ability to capture the attention of spectators on a regular basis because they host elements of marvel and astonishment. Within the sporting event, several items—such as the uncertainty and importance of the outcome, aesthetic appeal, and the promotion of national or local pride—produce dramatic and vivid episodes to captivate entire groups of people in physical, virtual, or remote attendance. Pro- fessional sport facilities arguably serve as one of the most significant structures of the world and operate as central landmarks representing cities and communities much as the railway, cathedral, or skyscraper did in previous eras.1 To encourage and maximize spending by those in attendance before, during, and after the event, professional sport organizations evolved to shape their facilities into entertainment destinations.2 This strategy imposed significant costs and dramatically increased the size of professional sport facilities. As an example, it has been proposed that contemporary professional sport facility architectural designs increased facility volumes nearly 500% from previous eras.3 Economist Raymond Keating found that the four major U.S. sport leagues (i.e., Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League) produced arenas, ballparks, and stadiums costing over $20 billion to con- struct during the twentieth century.4 Dennis Howard and John Crompton similarly discovered that the new or significantly renovated sport facilities emerging in the United States between 1995 and 2003 in what they described as the “fully loaded era” cost around $16 billion.5 Judith Grant-Long noted these figures likely excluded millions in subsidies such as tax-free municipal bonds, the loss of seized property, and direct government grants to sport organizations.6 Current and future professional baseball and football facilities demonstrate that their expensive nature will not decrease, as the nine structures scheduled to open between 2009 and 2012 will average over $725 million and cost nearly $7 billion (Table 1). Likely, the public’s share will continue to be significant.

The author is with Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

50 X X X X X X X X X X 48,262 49,200 43,345 50,200 45,050 48,219 48,569 50,062 40,950 46,621 (continued) Capacity (Baseball) X X X X X X X X X 71,228 73,800 65,321 73,248 63,026 80,116 68,915 65,647 72,000 67,000 66,500 Capacity (Football) Lifespan 1992-present 1994-present 1992-present 1994-present 1995-present 1995-present 1995-present 1996-present 1997-present 1996-present 1998-present 1997-present 1997-present 1998-present 1998-present 1999-present 2000-present 1999-present 1999-present 2000-present Cost in 2009 $364,999,999.85 $280,866,187.17 $326,170,212.59 $257,338,129.34 $194,394,405.38 $307,313,663.62 $400,223,776.62 $344,369,565.48 $160,154,050.15 $277,717,390.86 $549,074,509.84 $339,988,048.11 $318,950,862.85 $293,908,496.38 $225,107,189.64 $410,368,286.59 $335,185,643.53 $379,002,557.78 $676,454,219.83 $572,977,722.41 Cost $235,000,000 $191,000,000 $210,000,000 $175,000,000 $136,000,000 $215,000,000 $280,000,000 $248,000,000 $118,000,000 $200,000,000 $411,000,000 $250,500,000 $235,000,000 $220,000,000 $168,500,000 $314,000,000 $265,000,000 $290,000,000 $517,600,000 $453,200,000 Football Football Football Football Football Football Football Football Football Football Baseball Baseball Baseball Baseball Baseball Baseball Baseball Baseball Baseball Multi-use Type/Sport City Atlanta Baltimore Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville, Arlington, TX Arlington, Cleveland St. Louis Denver Charlotte, NC Oakland Washington, D.C. Washington, Anaheim, CA Baltimore Phoenix, AZ Phoenix, Atlanta Tampa, FL Tampa, Cleveland Nashville, TN Nashville, Cincinnati Houston Seattle Stage 6 (1992–2012) Professional Football and Baseball Facilities: Cost, Capacity, and Lifespan Capacity, Cost, and Baseball Facilities: Football Professional Stage 6 (1992–2012) Georgia Dome Georgia Name Oriole Park Jacksonville Stadium Jacksonville Rangers Ballpark Jacobs Field Edward Jones Dome Edward Coors Field Bank of America Stadium Bank of McAfee Coliseum FedEx Field Angel Stadium M & T Bank Stadium M & Chase Field Turner Field Turner Raymond James Stadium Cleveland Browns Stadium Browns Cleveland LP Field Paul Brown Stadium Brown Paul Minute Maid Park Safeco Field Table 1 Table 51