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10 Best Sports Stadiums in the United States

If you travel to any major sporting country in the world you can watch live games in some truly magnificent stadiums.

That is certainly the case where the United States is concerned, with all of the top sports boasting venues that are well worth visiting.

Determining which are the best is no easy task, but we’ve picked out ten stadiums that we believe stand head and shoulders above the rest.

1. Fenway Park, Boston

Source: Eater Boston

Ask any non-baseball fan to name a stadium in the sport and it is highly likely that the majority will say Fenway Park in Boston.

According to this list by Sportslens, its capacity of just over 37,000 is dwarfed by many famous soccer stadiums around the world, but size is not all that matters in sports venues.

Fenway is the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball (MLB) and possesses an historic charm that modern grounds are unable to replicate.

With its iconic Green Monster scoreboard situated at left field, Fenway is a stadium that epitomises how baseball should look and feel.

2. Wrigley Field, Chicago

Source: Midwest Living

History is also the name of the game at Wrigley Field, with the stadium the home to some of baseball’s most quirky traditions.

Built in 1914, Wrigley Field was recently given federal landmark status in the National Register of Historic Places.

Wrigley Field is famous for its ivy-covered brick outfield wall, the iconic red marquee over the main entrance and the hand-turned scoreboard.

It is the second-oldest ballpark in MLB behind Fenway and was also the home of the Chicago Bears from 1921 to 1970.

3. AT&T Stadium, Arlington

Source: HKS Architects

If historic venues don’t float your boat, the impressive AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, should be right up your street.

Opened in 2009, it is the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and highlights what can be achieved in modern stadium design.

It includes a Party Pass section which is a series of platforms that offer standing room for 25,000 fans in addition to the 80,000 seated capacity.

There are also over 3,000 LCD TV screens dotted around the stadium to ensure that fans can keep up with the action wherever they are in the venue.

4. TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville

Source: TIAA Bank Field

Located in the aptly-named Stadium District of downtown Jacksonville, TIAA Bank Field has been home to football fields since the early 20th century.

The current structure was built using elements of the historic Gator Bowl Stadium and was the catalyst for the Jacksonville Jaguars to be awarded the 30th NFL franchise.

The stadium underwent major renovation in 2014, with the Jaguars removing thousands of seats to install a new two-story party deck.

This features a pair of heated wading pools and 20 cabanas, with group bookings taken from a minimum of 20 up to 300 people.

5. Oracle Park, San Francisco

Source: SFGate

Located in the South Beach neighbourhood of San Francisco, California, Oracle Park is set against one of the most stunning backdrops in the world.

It stands along the San Francisco Bay, a segment of which is named McCovey Cove in honour of former San Francisco Giants player Willie McCovey.

The stadium cost $357 million to build and replaced the Giants’ former home, Candlestick Park, another venue that had a rich history in North American sports.

Oracle Park contains 68 luxury suites, 5,200 club seats on the club level, and 1,500 club seats at field level behind the home plate.

6. MetLife Stadium, New York

Source: Henderson Engineers

The MetLife Stadium in New York is home to two NFL teams – the Giants and the Jets – and has interior lighting that switches colours based on which team is playing.

The idea originated at the Allianz Arena in Germany, which was previously shared between two major soccer clubs – Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich.

At the time of its completion in 2010, it was the most expensive stadium ever built in America at an approximate cost of $1.6 billion.

The stadium can seat 82,500 people, making it one of the largest venues in the NFL in terms of total seating capacity.

7. Lumen Field, Seattle

Source: Field Gulls

Opened in 2002, Lumen Field is home to both the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer (MLS).

It has a 68,740 seat capacity, with 5,000 additional seats available for special events and 1,400 seats for fans with disabilities.

Lumen Field’s roof is 760 feet long – the same as three Boeing 747s parked end-to-end –  and spans 210,000 square feet – enough to cover 3.5 football fields.

The stadium regularly hosts major concerts and trade shows and is part of a complex that includes the WaMu Theatre and a public plaza.

8. PNC Park, Pittsburgh

Source: Wikipedia

Located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the eye-catching PNC Park is widely considered to be one of the best ballparks in the world.

With views of the Pittsburgh skyline and Allegheny River, clear angles of the field from every seat and a timeless design, this is a stunning place to watch baseball.

It was constructed for $216m over a 24-month span and has a retro feel reminiscent of venues like Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field.

Several tributes to former Pirate Roberto Clemente have been incorporated into PNC Park, including renaming the nearby Sixth Street Bridge in his honour.

9. US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis

Source: Wikipedia

Built on the former site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the US Bank Stadium is an indoor venue in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

It opened in 2016 and is the home of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL and also hosts early season NCAA baseball games of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

It was the first fixed-roof stadium built in the NFL since Ford Field in Detroit, which opened in 2002, and is estimated to have cost more than $1bn to build.

The roof is made up of 60% ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a fluorine-based clear plastic, and is the largest in North America, spanning 240,000 square feet.

10. Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge

Popularly known as Death Valley, this fearsome stadium in Baton Rouge is often described as the worst place in the world for a visiting team to play.

It is the home for the Louisiana State University Tigers football team, who are backed by some of the loudest fans in sport.

Tiger Stadium opened in 1924 with a capacity of just 12,000, but numerous expansions have seen this figure spiral to more than 102,000.

The venue boasts two ‘beer gardens’ – The Skyline Club and The Chute – both of which help to fuel the raucous atmosphere on matchdays.