Basketball games on tennis courts. College hoops on a battleship. Baseball in a cornfield. You can get real creative about where teams play.
We’ll see another one on Saturday – an MLB game on a NASCAR racetrack – when a record crowd is expected at Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway.
As we prepare to watch home runs fly high over the high banks, let’s dive back into some of the other interesting places to catch a game.
MLB at Field of Dreams – Yankees vs. White Sox, Aug. 12, 2021
The White Sox and Yankees walking onto the field ahead of 2021’s “Field of Dreams” game. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
It was built, and they came. Inspired by the 1989 film “Field of Dreams”, both teams’ players – dressed in retro uniforms – entered the baseball field in Dyersville, Iowa, built specifically for the event through the corn stalks, recalling one of the movie’s most memorable scenes. Adding to the aura was actor Kevin Costner, star of the movie, participating in the pregame ceremony. The stadium was built next to the field used in the film, designed to blend seamlessly with the landscape.
Adding to the cinematic flair was Tim Anderson’s walk-off homer that sailed into the cornfields to clinch the win for the White Sox. Was it heaven? No, but the whole event created enough memories for fans that they’ll have to brush them away from their faces, as James Earl Jones’ famed character Terrance Mann said in the movie.
What was it like?
“Fans came to see a show, and we gave them a show. Being able to walk it off is definitely one of my best moments of my career for sure.” – White Sox outfielder Tim Anderson, in 2021
“That was as special and breathtaking a setting for a baseball game as I’ve ever been part of.” – Yankees manager Aaron Boone, in 2021
Battle at Bristol — Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech, Sept. 10, 2016
A record-breaking 156,990 fans packed Bristol Motor Speedway to watch Tennessee and Virginia Tech in a college football spectacle. Usually reserved for NASCAR, the racetrack transformed into a gridiron, creating the largest-ever crowd for a college football game in a jaw-dropping albiet cavernous motorsport setting. Adding to the uniqueness of the venue was that both schools are fairly equidistant from the racetrack, with the city of Bristol separated by the Virginia-Tennessee state line.
Bristol Motor Speedway witnessed the largest college football crowd ever in 2016’s game between the Vols and the Hokies. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
What was it like?
“I think the reality hit our players when we came here yesterday for the walk through with all the campers and trailers again this is truly a special evening that we’ll remember for a lifetime.” – Tennessee coach Butch Jones, in 2016
Carrier Classic – UNC vs. Michigan State, Nov. 11, 2011
College basketball took to the sea as part of the “Carrier Classic” series, with the Tar Heels and the Spartans playing aboard the USS Carl Vinson, an active aircraft carrier in San Diego on Veterans Day in 2011. Players adjusted to unique conditions, including glare from the sun and wind on the open court that sat on top of the ship’s flight deck.
The game drew 8,111 fans in attendance, including active military personnel and President Barack Obama. There had been concern that condensation would accumulate on the temporary court, which did occur in the 2012 edition of the event in South Carolina and prompted some of those games to be canceled.
Anchors away! North Carolina played Michigan State in college hoops on top of a battleship in 2011. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Corbis via Getty Images)
What was it like?
“I was just sort of jogging, waving, ‘Oh hey, hi, there’s a sailor,’ … We’re all just looking around, taking it easy, looking around. I had to remind myself, ‘OK, this is a game. I have to focus.’ It was hard.” – UNC player Harrison Barnes, in 2011
WNBA’s Liberty Outdoor Classic at Arthur Ashe Stadium – July 19, 2008
Four years after playing at Radio City Music Hall, the Liberty were at another unique venue – even if it was technically on a court rather than a theater stage. In 2008, the Liberty hosted a WNBA game at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, the main site of the US Open. The stadium was a fitting venue as it is part of the USTA Billie Jean National Tennis Center, named after the tennis legend and pioneer of women’s sports. The 19,000 fans who flocked to the game, which did see swirling winds hinder some of the on court again, set a then-record for league attendance.
What was it like?
“It’s the perfect arena, it’s almost the same (dimensions) … Basketball was my first love, so for me, it’s very appropriate that the WNBA is playing the game at the center.” – Tennis icon Billie Jean King, in 2008
“NBA Outdoors” at Indian Wells – Phoenix Suns, 2008–2010
The NBA hit the desert as the Suns hosted a series of preseason games at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California’s Coachella Valley. Often known in tennis as the home of the “fifth Grand Slam,” it was a novel sight to instead see some slam dunks in what was dubbed “NBA Outdoors.” In the first edition, held on Oct. 11, 2008, the high desert temperatures dipped to below 70 degrees by the evening tip-off, accompanied by strong winds in the fourth quarter that affected the ball and court conditions.
Indian Wells Tennis Center hosted some preseason NBA games from 2008-11. (Photo by Charles Baus/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
What was it like?
“I don’t think anyone expected it to be this cold here. It felt like Edmonton, Alberta, not Palm Springs.” – Suns guard Steve Nash, in 2008
“It was colder than a motherf—–. And you can quote me on that.” – Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, in 2008
NHL Winter Classic/Stadium Series, 2008 – present
Hockey originated as an outdoor sport, often played on frozen lakes and rivers, but it took on a new meaning when the NHL started the Winter Classic in 2008 at iconic football and baseball stadiums. The inaugural edition at Buffalo’s snowy Ralph Wilson Stadium drew over 71,000 fans, with the 2014 event in Michigan Stadium drawing an NHL-record crowd of 105,491 between the Red Wings and the Maple Leafs. The Stadium Series expanded the outdoor concept, featuring games at venues like Dodger Stadium (2014), bringing hockey to warm-weather locales with palm trees and concerts.
The NHL has been holding outdoor games on a continuous basis since 2008. (Getty Images)
WNBA at Radio City Music Hall – 2004
Radio City Music Hall is known for the Rockettes instead of rebounds, but one of New York’s most iconic stages provided a unique hoop setting in 2004. The New York Liberty played six home games at the famed venue in 2004 amid Madison Square Garden renovations, trading the hardwood for center stage. The games were played in front of red curtains, creating a surreal and intimate basketball experience in midtown Manhattan.
What was it like?
“The lighting was different, and that skip pass from left to right we had to be on target or else it was going into the audience. I was like, ‘No loose ball, don’t go after them. Don’t jump off the stage.’” – Former Liberty guard Vickie Johnson, in 2011
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