America's Roman Colosseum? Candidate 1: Oakland Coliseum
Also known as the Milk Bowl, The Black Hole, and Baseball's Last Dive Bar, the Oakland Coliseum is quite a fascinating place.
Hello everyone! Welcome to the first article of the What abandoned/unused stadium is the United States' equivalent to The Colosseum in Rome? series. Please let me know if you are confused about the criteria and grading process in the comments below.
The Colosseum is considered to be one of the modern day wonders of the world for several reasons:
Amazing Architecture: The Colosseum has or had: an astounding 80 arches, amazing sight lines for all viewers, canvas awnings that covered the audience from the sun, and a complex underground system with trapdoors and lift systems.
It was very well built, and looked amazing.
Great Capacity: A long time ago, the Colosseum had the capacity to hold 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.
Hosting Unique Events: The Colosseum hosted several events like naval battles (they actually flooded the arena!), naked emperors fighting animals, animals fighting other animals, and horrific executions. It also was almost turned into a wool factory in the 1500s.
Having A Massive Cultural Significance: The Colosseum was a huge part of Roman social and cultural life, and it represented the ancient importance of entertainment.
Zero Ticket and Concession Prices: Admission was FREE at The Colosseum, and concessions were sometimes free as well.
Excellent Location: The Colosseum is located in Rome, which is a pretty awesome tourist destination.
These reasons will be used as my judging criteria, too, after some adjustments:
Architecture (1 point): Was the stadium home to any architectural feats? Did the stadium look different from other stadiums? (in other words, is the stadium less boring than Fedex Field?)
Capacity (1 point): Did the stadium break capacity records at all?
Events (1 point): Did the stadium host any events outside of baseball/football/basketball/soccer games? Like a beer festival without beer?
Cultural Significance (1 point): Does the stadium best represent American values and traditions?
Ticket and Concession Prices (1 point): Could spectators actually afford to attend games and buy food? Is Arthur Blank in charge of prices at the stadium? Or is it the guy who runs the city airport?
Location (1 point): Is the stadium located somewhere interesting, such as Tangipahoa Parish, or is it located in somewhere boring, like Shreveport?
***NOTE: I AM NOT CONSIDERING DEMOLISHED STADIUMS. Sorry, Pontiac Silverdome.
At the end of the series, the stadium with the highest score will be crowned the United States' equivalent to The Colosseum in Rome, and I will try to make and send them a plaque recognizing their great feat.
Without further ado, let’s introduce candidate number one:
THE OAKLAND COLISEUM
ADDRESS: 7000 S Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621
Fun Fact: I have actually been to this stadium myself. I had a great time.
Fun Fact #2: A pair of mammoth tusks were found under the stadium when they were digging up the site in 1964.
Architecture: The coliseum had the most foul territory of any ballpark in the MLB, but it also used to look pretty nice before the construction of “Mt. Davis” in 1995:
A before and after picture of the stadium’s stupid 1995 renovation
Mt. Davis throws all the historical architectural significance of this place in the trash can. It blocks the view of the real mountains and got rid of the plants!
The steep view from the top of Mt. Davis.
Oakland Coliseum does not get the point in this category.
Capacity: Weirdly enough, Oakland Coliseum is the largest U.S. baseball stadium by capacity. Thanks, Mount Davis!
Oakland Coliseum does get the point in this category.
Events: Yes, the stadium was home to the Raiders for a long time and did host several prominent soccer games in the 2000s, but this category is unrelated to sports. Led Zeppelin played their final North American concerts in 1977 at the Oakland stadium. They also hosted many other concerts. And that’s about it.
According to sources, “At one time, before construction began, [Oakland Coliseum] was proposed to have auto racing as well! The plan was to lay out a race course in the parking lot around the buildings”
Oakland Coliseum does not get the point in this category because they did not build a race track. Boo hoo.
Cultural Significance: According to Curbed SF, “The Coliseum represents a time when governments viewed infrastructure as a point of civic pride. Its design and its symbolism for Oakland’s progressive attitude toward construction.”
I personally think that the poorly-maintained concrete stadium is a work of art in itself, symbolizing Oakland’s love of art in the 21st century.
[Before you criticize my art judging skills, explain to me why this banana taped to a wall was deemed a piece of art worth 6.2 million dollars]
There is also a stadium bridge that I have walked on to get the BART station that I deem to be a piece of art.
Oakland Coliseum does get the point in this category.
Ticket and Concession Prices:
Oakland Coliseum does not get the point in this category. Prices are not great there. I am also ashamed to admit my dad spent more money than he should of on tickets to the A’s 8-1 loss against the San Diego Padres on August 3, 2021.
Location: The stadium is 21 feet below sea level in Oakland, California. It may be in a unique location because Oakland is home to a place called Heinold’s First and Last Chance saloon.
However, when I went to TripAdvisor to find some fun things to do in Oakland, I was left with some concern because the 6th best thing to do in the city was to RIDE A FERRY TO SAN FRANCISCO.
Oakland Coliseum does not get the point in this category.
Oakland Coliseum final score: 2/6
Technically, they are in first place right now!
An accurate visual description of Oakland Coliseum.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for an article on Candidate #2!