The overall U.S. sports market was worth over $71.1 billion in 2018. By the end of 2022, it’s expected to reach $80.2 billion, according to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. As the sports industry is continuing to grow, expansion teams are being added to the National Hockey League (NHL), National Football League (NFL) teams are moving cities, and a lot of exciting construction projects are in the works for new stadiums.
Gate revenue accounted for $19.3 billion of the sports market in 2018. To keep fans coming and to make the experience as enjoyable as possible, teams have been shelling out billions of dollars to build new stadiums. Here are five of the most expensive sports stadiums in the U.S.
1. Los Angeles Stadium
Team: Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers
Cost: $4.9 billion
Opened: 2020
Key features:
• The Super Bowl is set to come to the venue in 2022, it’s lined-up to host the 2028 Olympics, and it’s the most likely candidate to host the 2026 World Cup Final if the United States, Mexico, and Canada’s bid to co-host is approved.
• The most noticeable design feature of the stadium is its expansive, transparent roof that will cover not only the entire playing field and seating bowl but also an adjacent pedestrian plaza and a proposed 6,000-seat theater capable of hosting high-profile events like the Academy Awards.
• Cutting-edge technologies will be integrated throughout the building, including an Oculus video board. With more than 60,000 linear feet of screen, the Oculus is the world’s largest sporting event digital display.
2. Yankee Stadium
Team: New York Yankees
Cost: $2.3 billion
Opened: 2009
Key features:
• Designed by the architectural firm Populous, the stadium’s exterior is made of 11,000 pieces of Indiana limestone, granite, and pre-cast concrete. Each entrance features the stadium’s name V-cut and gold-leaf lettered above the gate.
• New Yankee Stadium features 50,287 seats and was built to resemble the original Yankee Stadium. Its exterior is modeled to look like the 1923 Yankee Stadium, and its interior is designed to look like the stadium post-renovation in 1976.
• The stadium includes a “Great Hall” between the interior and exteriors that includes a seven-story ceiling, over 31,000 square feet of retail space, and 20 banners of past and present Yankees players.
3. Las Vegas Raiders Stadium
Team: Las Vegas Raiders (currently the Oakland Raiders)
Cost: $1.8 billion
Opened: 2020
Key features:
• The translucent stadium components will make the stadium appear black during the day, but lights inside the stadium will be visible from outside at night.
• The natural-grass field will grow outdoors on a 4-foot-high tray that will be wheeled inside on game day. An artificial-turf field will rest atop the concrete stadium floor.
• The north end of the stadium will have 80-by-120-foot lanai doors that open to a view of the Las Vegas Strip.
4. Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Team: Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FC
Cost: $1.6 billion
Opened: 2017
Key features:
• Designed by HOK, Mercedes-Benz Stadium features a Roman Pantheon inspired retractable roof with eight-panels that resemble a pinwheel and a glass wall that opens to allow fresh air. It’s one of five NFL stadiums with a retractable roof.
• At 62,350 square feet, the stadium holds the record for the world’s largest video board. It’s three times as large as the second biggest video board at EverBank Field in Jacksonville and lines the entire opening of the stadium’s roof.
• The stadium includes more than 180 pieces of commissioned art, including words by Nari Ward, Hank Willis Thomas, and Steven and William Ladd. The centerpiece is a 73,000 pound, four-story tall stainless steel sculpture by Gábor Miklós Sz?ke titled, “The Atlanta Falcon.”
5. MetLife Stadium
Team: New York Giants, New York Jets
Cost: $1.6 billion
Opened: 2010
Key features:
• Designed by 360 Architecture, EwingCole, Rockwell Group, and Bruce Mau Design, Inc., MetLife Stadium was built to embody the personalities of both teams. The Giants wanted a traditional look with exposed steel and rustic stone, and the Jets wanted a modern design with metal and glass.
• MetLife Stadium has four locker rooms — one for each home team and one for visiting team. The stadium can be reconfigured for the Giants or Jets in a matter of hours, and the interior lighting can switch colors depending on who’s playing.
• DLR Group partnered with ERG Energy to install 1,350 building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solar panels. The excess power from the panels can be used by the stadium or go back into the grid.
SOURCE: https://blog.buildingconnected.com/the-5-most-expensive-sports-stadiums-in-the-u-s/
