The 2023 college football bowl season is here. This means you’ll see top competition in a unique environment.
Similar to last year, bowl games will be held at four baseball stadiums: Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks), Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox), Petco Park (San Diego Padres), and Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees). will be held.
The Kansas Jayhawks and UNLV Rebels will play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Petco Park will host the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl between the No. 15 Louisville Cardinals and USC Trojans.
The Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park is between the No. 24 SMU Mustangs and the Boston College Eagles. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Miami Hurricanes will face off in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.
Bowl games in unique locations aren’t uncommon, but they don’t happen often in other sports. Introducing events held at unusual venues.
college football
The 2016 matchup between the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies was held at Bristol Motor Speedway. Josh Dobbs and Volante won a resounding 45-27 in the match, dubbed the “Battle of Bristol.” The game was attended by 156,990 fans, setting a new record for the most fans attending a college football game.
NBA
From 2008 to 2010, the NBA held preseason games at the Indian Wells tennis courts in California. The Phoenix Suns played three consecutive preseason games there, making their first appearance against the Denver Nuggets.
Weather always seemed to be a factor during the match. The first matchup was marred by wind, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees during the final match. Stephen Curry played in the 2009 tournament as a rookie, playing in the Golden State Warriors’ 104-101 victory.
college volleyball
Nebraska Red Sea
On August 30, the University of Nebraska hosted Omaha at Memorial Stadium, with 92,003 fans in attendance. This erased the previous record for NCAA volleyball games (18,755 games). It also set a new record for attendance at a women’s sporting event (previously held by a Champions League match in Barcelona).
“It’s unbelievable. There aren’t enough words to describe it,” Nebraska middle blocker Andy Jackson told ESPN’s Michael Vaupel. “As we were coming out of the tunnel after the second set, an announcement came over the speakers that we had broken the world record. Everyone was about to be trapped, but we were also very excited. I can’t express in words how grateful I am.” I plan to be a part of that. ”
Nebraska volleyball sets record with over 92,000 fans
Nebraska Volleyball filled the football stadium with 92,003 fans, setting a record for the largest attendance at a women’s sporting event.
WNBA
liberty outdoor classic
A few months before the Suns played in Indian Wells, the WNBA hosted a regular season game at another tennis stadium, Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York City. The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty 71-55 in front of a crowd of 23,771.
radio city hoop
Madison Square Garden hosted the 2004 Republican National Convention, and Liberty played six games at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Although fans could only see one side of the court, he is remembered as one of the most interesting setups.
On this day in 2004, @nyliberty The first of six home games will be played at Radio City Music Hall 🎶#countit pic.twitter.com/Gx7ZCNnw5x
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 24, 2021
tennis
Federer and Agassi reach new heights
In 2005, tennis was taken to another level when Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played on a Dubai helipad. Federer and Agassi had a 20-minute blowout on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab Hotel, about 700 feet above sea level.
Meeting on the water
To promote the 2011 tennis tournament in Qatar, Federer and Rafael Nadal hit tennis balls on a floating court. Although it was not an official match, Federer and Nadal were only able to volley through the ankle-high water.
college basketball
career classic
In 2011, the Michigan State Spartans played the North Carolina Tar Heels aboard the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego. President Barack Obama watched the game, sat courtside and met with Tom Izzo and Roy Williams after the Tar Heels won 67-55.
USS Abraham Lincoln Games
Michigan State returned to another aircraft carrier in 2022, playing against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego Bay. She played for 11 years until the original “Carrier Her Classic” was born, and the audience was mostly aircraft carrier sailors. The Bulldogs defeated the Spartans 64-63.
Crossover at Kinnick
In October, the Iowa Hawkeyes faced the DePaul Blue Demons in a historic game at Kinnick Stadium. The basketball court, home to the Hawkeyes football team, was built near the end zone on one side of the field.
University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark beat DePaul in front of 55,646 fans, a new attendance record for women’s college basketball.
This is 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/nWcRnw2RT4
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) October 15, 2023
NHL
lake tahoe double header
There may be no other professional league that takes advantage of unique venues as much as the NHL, with its Winter Classic, Heritage Classic and Stadium Series. In February 2021, the NHL held a two-day series of games next to Lake Tahoe, California.
The first game between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche was delayed for eight hours between the first and second periods due to poor ice conditions due to sunlight. The start time for the second game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins was moved up several hours to avoid ice issues.
It’s almost here #NHL Outdoor After Dark… 🌄fluffy versus @avalanche Midnight on @NHLonNBCSports. @sportsnet. pic.twitter.com/SHEbZE5jWp
— NHL (@NHL) February 21, 2021
This is not enough. 😍#NHLOutdoor pic.twitter.com/BpUc8wWAu0
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) February 27, 2021
A game at Caesars Palace… something like that.
In 1991, the NHL held a preseason game between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers in the Caesars Palace parking lot.
The temperature reached 85 degrees, and when the tarp was removed, the ice began to melt, nearly canceling the game. However, Zamboni’s performance helped bring it back, and the Kings won 5-2 in a game that featured Wayne Gretzky.
prison games
The first-ever outdoor NHL game was played on Groundhog Day in 1954 between the Detroit Red Wings and inmates at Marquette Branch Prison, a maximum-security facility in Michigan.
Red Wings general manager Jack Adams and forward Ted Lindsay had visited the prison on a promotional trip several months earlier. The warden asked Adams if he could take the Red Wings to play in the prison yard. Lindsey said Adams had several more visits and interactions before agreeing to play the game a few months later.
It wasn’t a big fight. By the end of the first period, Detroit had an 18-0 lead on him. After the game, the Red Wings were given a “honey bucket” that served as a prison toilet.
MLB
field of dreams
The first edition of the “Field of Dreams” game in August 2021 lived up to all the hype.
In a game played at a stadium near the famous set of the 1989 film, the Chicago White Sox defeated the New York Yankees 9-8 after a walk-off home run. Actor Kevin Costner led the players onto the field after walking through a cornfield.
This entrance is everything. #MLBatFieldofDreams pic.twitter.com/ve6Q0Rmuff
— MLB (@MLB) August 12, 2021