America's Roman Colosseum? Candidate 2: Camping World Stadium
Home of the Pop-Tarts Bowl and many other things!
Hello everyone! Welcome to the second article of the What abandoned/unused stadium is the United States' equivalent to The Colosseum in Rome? series. You can find the criteria/ grading process here. Please let me know if you are confused about the criteria/ grading process in the comments below.
Without further ado, let’s introduce candidate number two:
CAMPING WORLD STADIUM
ADDRESS: 1 Citrus Bowl Place, Orlando, FL 32805
Fun Fact: I got food poisoning in Orlando last February. I had a great time sitting on the toilet for hours.
Fun Fact #2: Camping World Stadium hosted the Pop-Tarts Bowl this year.
Architecture: Surprisingly, Camping World Stadium is REALLY OLD (in other words, was built during the Great Depression and opened in 1936 with a capacity of 8,900).
A vintage photo of Camping World Stadium (back then it went by the Tangerine Bowl) in 1970.
The stadium was renovated from 1974-1976 to raise the stadium capacity to 50,612, however; these renovations were considered to be an architectural failure much greater than this slide in Michigan that went viral on social media earlier this year:
According to Wikipedia, “On November 27, 1976, the first major game was held at the expanded stadium, a regular season matchup between Florida and Miami. During the game, the newly constructed upper deck noticeably swayed whenever fans stood up and cheered.[7] The deck vibrated, fences and railings shook and creaked, causing an unnerving sensation for the patrons sitting in those sections…Additional problems included inadequate access to restrooms in the upper deck, gaps between the sections which required obstructive fences, and the fact that the upper deck was built at such an angle that it had poor sight lines.[10][11] Meanwhile, unsightly I-beams installed to hold up the upper deck now blocked seats in the lower deck that were previously unobstructed.”
INADEQUATE ACCESS TO RESTROOMS?! Is that where “Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble” drew its inspiration from?
I understand that Camping World Stadium is properly renovated today, but the Roman Coliseum is just on another level.
A picture of Camping World Stadium before the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Camping World Stadium does not get the point in this category.
Capacity: Camping World Stadium has a capacity of 63,000. Nothing special here. Camping World Stadium does not get the point in this category.
A photo of old people watching the Cheez-It Bowl.
Events: Camping World Stadium has hosted numerous failed franchises for several years, as well as the Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It Bowls, Buffalo Wild Wings (Citrus), and the Avocados from Mexico (Cure) Bowls.
From 1965-1971, CWS hosted the Orlando Panthers, a minor league/not NFL football team. A notable member of the Panthers in 1970 was Patricia Palinkas, the first woman ever to have played football professionally in a predominantly male league.
In 1974, the Florida Blazers played minor league football in CWS. The Blazers finished 16-7 and made it to the World Bowl in their lone season in Orlando.
Two interesting tidbits about the Blazers: They beat both the Charlotte Hornets and the Houston Texans, AND they were owned by a convicted child molester and cocaine trafficker. I bet you didn’t know that before now!
In 1985, the Orlando Renegades of the USFL played at CWS. They were coached by this guy:
From 2009-2010, the Florida Tuskers played at Camping World Stadium.
And in 2011, the Orlando Fantasy of the Lingerie Football League (or the X League), called CWS home. The LFL wears extremely questionable uniforms, and in my opinion, degrades female athletes through objectification (they used to have a team named the San Diego Seduction, too).
On top of all of the tenant madness CWS has dealt with, the stadium has also hosted bowl games with amazing sponsors with fantastic mascots!
A picture of Prince Chedward.
A picture of the Resurrected Frosted Strawberry Mascot.
Camping World Stadium does get the point in this category.
Cultural Significance/Location: A stadium that has hosted bowl games sponsored by processed foods in a country that is the world's top consumer of processed foods? Heck yes! Orlando is also a representation of America because it is a city in Florida and people from Florida…oh well, never mind.
Camping World Stadium does get the points in these categories.
Ticket and Concession Prices:
$5 for a bottle of water in Florida? That is shameful.
Camping World Stadium does not get the point in this category.
Camping World Stadium final score: 3/6
Better than the Oakland Coliseum, at least.
