The Return Of The Multipurpose Stadium
Written by Chriso, Tuesday February 23 2010
In the 70's, the multipurpose stadium took the nation by storm. Cookie cutter stadiums popped up in different cities, giving fans the same experience whether they were at the Vet in Philadelphia or at Riverfront in Cincinnati. Then the sports world corrected these errors, and classic baseball only stadiums were built and venues were created for only one sport.
Now I'm not suggesting the trend is reversing. But in the past few months, the Bruins played hockey in Fenway Park. Jerry Jones has used his billion dollar football playground for a major college basketball game with Texas and the NBA All-Star game. What is next?
From a Boston perspective, the Red Sox have sold out Fenway for a record number of home games. What if they tested that streak by playing a game in spacious Gillette Stadium in Foxborough? Or what if the Bruins returned the favor and let the Sox use the Garden? Last Winter I found an indoor softball league that used a soccer tent. There were three fields, and the dimensions meant that either left or right field would be a short field. But the Sox might be used to that, having the giant wall in left field. And the ground rules would probably not be as crazy as a road game at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. Also, if baseball was played on ice, maybe it could become a Winter Olympic game.
This crazy talk about mixing up stadiums finally brings some sense to certain Winter Olympic games. For example, look at the biathlon. Why would you combine skiing with shooting? The few times that I have been on skis, my primary concern was falling. Now while I was losing my balance, why would I want to add a gun to that equation? The only reason this sport must have come into existence was that a rifle range decided to host a cross country ski race in a strange mix of venues. The next example of mixed sports is Curling. It could also be called Shuffleboard on ice. I imagine there was some old guy in a retirement home trying to practice for Shuffleboard in his kitchen when he collided with his wife sweeping up some spilled ice cubes. Then Curling was born.
Baseball has been removed as an Olympic Sport for the Summer Games. Maybe a new sport of baseball on ice could be played for the Winter Olympics. It makes about as much sense as the biathlon or curling.
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