When it comes to the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college sports, and even MLS, many of the teams play in stadiums that are truly iconic and have a memorable game-day experience for fans from the likes of Lambeau Field, Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Staples Center, to name a few. However, there are several stadiums that are falling apart and need to be replaced IMMEDIATELY for several reasons such as faulty equipment, bad game-day experience, and much more.
Here are 10 of the Worst sports stadiums that NEED TO BE REPLACED:
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium has been the home of the University of Memphis Tigers since 1965 and the home of the Memphis Showboats of the UFL. It was also the temporary home of the Tennessee Oilers before they moved to Nashville. This stadium can hold about 58,000 people and is one of the largest stadiums in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and hosts the annual Liberty Bowl. Some major issues include not providing anywhere near the required amount of luxury boxes and the woefully outdated facilities and concession stands compared to more modern stadiums.
The city of Memphis transferred the ownership of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to the University of Memphis where they’ll be renovating the place in 2025. However, would it make better sense to replace the whole thing with something more modern that could potentially host a Titans preseason game or two as well as provide a more modern facility for the Tigers and Showboats, respectively.
KeyBank Center
KeyBank Center has been the home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres since 1996, as it replaced the Memorial Auditorium. The Sabres have had some tough times in the NHL. They haven’t made the NHL Postseason since 2011 and KeyBank Center hasn’t seen many upgrades while other NHL teams are getting new arenas. Fans of the Sabres have complained about KeyBank Center’s food, seats being too close and outdated, facilities and the arena being just too old. It also doesn’t help that The Athletic ranked KeyBank Center as the second-worst NHL arena in 2021.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Either the Sabres get KeyBank Arena a well-deserved renovation or tear the place down and build a newer and more modern arena for home and away fans to enjoy. It may indeed be hard for ownership to invest in a stadium for a team that has not made the postseason for over a decade.
Target Center
Target Center has been the home of the Minnesota Timberwolves since 1990 and the Minnesota Lynx since 1999. Fans have complained that the arena is too small, landlocked, and was built on a low budget, on the cheap. The low lighting is also pretty bad despite some renovations done to the arena in recent years. Fans have also complained about the walkways being too narrow. Across in Saint Paul, MN, is the Xcel Center, which is the home of the Minnesota Wild NHL team and is a major upgrade from Target Center.
The Timberwolves and Lynx need a new arena or should simply play their home games at the Xcel Center and bid the Target Center a swift, farewell, or perhaps the team’s ownership could build their team a new arena.
Amerant Bank Arena
Amerant Bank Arena has been the home of the Florida Panthers NHL team since 1998. This arena is also the largest in the state of Florida. Although the Panthers have had some success in recent years, Amerant Bank Arena had low fan attendance in the 2010s before their playoff pushes in the 2020s. Additionally, the arena location is in Sunrise, FL, which is approximately 36 miles away from Miami.
NHL players even voted that Amerant Bank Arena, then called BB&T Center, had the worst ice in the league, in 2018. The arena isn’t a bad place to watch a hockey game. That said, when the team decides to either move out or build a new arena, they should consider possibly moving into the Kaseya Center and sharing that facility with the Miami Heat or building an arena that’s closer to Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
Soldier Field
Soldier Field has been open since 1924 and has been the home of the Chicago Bears since 1971. Although Solider Field is very historic and has had a few renovations over the years, there are a lot of things that could be improved with the stadium. The condition of the grass has been an issue for players both from the home team and visitors alike. Soldier Field isn’t a domed stadium, which means the brutal midwestern winters can affect games and athletes on the field. As for the fans, parking is almost nonexistent, as parking in Chicago is a painful experience as fans need to wait for buses to shuttle them to the stadium from far away parking. Public transport is also painful as the Red Line is a 30-minute hike from Soldier Field.
The food is also an issue as it is considered poor quality and expensive. The size of the stadium is also an issue, as Soldier Field is the second-smallest stadium in the league with a 61,500-capacity. The Bears’ ownership has purchased what’s currently left of Arlington Park with plans to build a new stadium for the team. When the Bears do build their eventual new stadium, they need to make sure parking is easy, public transportation to the stadium isn’t a hassle, and the stadium is domed, protecting the field, players and fans, that can withstand the harsh winters in the Midwest.
Alamodome
The Alamodome was built in 1990, opened its doors in 1993, and has hosted a barrage of sports teams over the years. The stadium has been the home of the NCAA’s annual Alamo Bowl, the home of the University of Texas San Antonio Roadrunners, and the home of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas. The Alamodome was built to increase tourism and to attract a professional football team to the city of San Antonio, preferably an NFL team. Unfortunately, no NFL team took the bait. The stadium did, however, host the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs before they moved out in 2002. The Alamodome also had a CFL team called the San Antonio Texans, a team which only played one season in the CFL before all American CFL-based teams disbanded, in 1996.
The Alamodome also hosted the New Orleans Saints for three games back in 2005 with the Saints going 1-2 in those games. Unfortunately, adding to the problems, the Alamodome had a mold issue potentially due to the construction project being built during the wrong time. If the Alamodome were to get replaced, replace it with a stadium that would be friendlier to college football and the UFL’s Brahmas. It’s a real shame that San Antonio never got their own NFL team that would call the Alamodome home.
Rice Stadium
Home of the Rice University Owls, this stadium was state of the art back in the 1950s when it originally opened and hosted former President John F. Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the Moon” speech and Super Bowl VIII where the Miami Dolphins crushed the Minnesota Vikings 24-7. However, this stadium has fallen on tough times. Rice Stadium was ranked by Moneywise as the eighth worst stadium in college football. The stadium is poorly maintained and lacks modern-day amenities. The seats are very old and the stadium looks like something out of a dystopian nightmare.
The Stadium currently can hold about 47,000 people and has hosted only over 19,000 people in recent years. If the Rice Owls are looking to move out or replace their old relic of a stadium, they have a couple of options: They could share stadiums with the Houston Cougars or Houston Texans or just build their new stadium and permanently dispose of Rice Stadium for good. Your move Rice Owls.
Canadian Tire Centre
Canadian Tire Centre is the current home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and the National Lacrosse League’s, Ottawa Black Bears. This arena hosted two Stanley Cup games back in 2007 when the Senators squared off against the Anaheim Ducks and lost the series in five games. The arena has gone through rough times in recent years, as it was ranked by The Athletic, as the worst place to watch an NHL game. The arena is very dirty, with sticky floors and a very distinct unpleasant smell to it.
The Canadian Tire Centre is also mocked for its distance from downtown Ottawa, which is 26 kilometers away. There were plans to build a new arena that was closer to the downtown area, but those plans never came to fruition. It currently has fans up at arms with the Senators’ ownership, if they choose to leave the Capitol of Canada. If the Senators do build a new arena, they should make the arena closer to downtown Ottawa, and make it easily accessible by public transportation.
Tropicana Field
Arguably one of the worst fields in the MLB, this stadium and is home to the Tampa Bay Rays. Although the sting-ray touch tank, is a nice touch to Tropicana Field, this field has a lot of problems. First, the stadium is very difficult to access from the greater Tampa Bay area, as it’s in St. Petersburg, FL. Second, attendance at Rays games is usually very lackluster, at best, with an average attendance of 17,000 fans, as of 2023.
Third, the hard turf, fixed roof, awful lighting, and weird catwalks make Tropicana Field a painful/ odd place to play baseball for opposing MLB teams. There were rumors that the Rays were going to split games between Tampa and Montreal before commissioner Rob Manfred killed the plan. If the Rays were to build a new stadium, they need to build it closer to downtown Tampa and make it very accessible for everyone.
Commanders Field
Where do we even begin with this stadium? This was once the largest NFL stadium, with a peak capacity of over 91,000 seats. Commanders Field has fallen apart rapidly in recent years thanks to Dan Snyder’s lack of care for the team. From the stadium having water leaks near fans, and a barrier falling apart causing fans to nearly fall on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in 2022, as staff didn’t even bother to show or care for medical attention. Add to that the horrible parking, and lack of public transport to the stadium, a terrible field to play on, where a lot of famous names in the NFL suffered terrible injuries.
Let’s not forget the water heater in the stadium broke in the 2023 season as the Washington Commanders and New York Giants were subjected to freezing showers. Or how about the fact that when the Commanders retired Sean Taylor’s number, it was a complete mess that should’ve been handled much better. If the Commanders do build a new stadium (yes please), they need to build it in an area close to the Washington D.C. area where they’ll have easier access and room to park cars and tailgate, have easier access to public transportation, and make sure the place doesn’t fall apart like what is happening to Commanders Field. It’s your move Commanders!
