On the Oakland Coliseum
The Oakland Coliseum is currently on its final breath. The first crowd filled Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 18, 1966 when the AFL’s Oakland Raiders played the Kansas City Chiefs. The first MLB season at the Coliseum was in 1968 after the Athletics moved from Kansas City. Having hosted both the Raiders and the Athletics for decades, this stadium was once one of the best in all of professional sports. In its earlier days, you could see Mount Davis from the home plate stands. The aerial view was arguably one of the most beautiful of the 1970s. The Oakland Coliseum has hosted multiple World Series and Super Bowls. In addition to MLB and NFL games, the stadium has hosted many notable soccer games. The Coliseum was home to the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer from 2008–2009 and hosted games of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Oakland Coliseum will likely be torn down in the late 2020s to early 2030s because it is considered to be one of the worst stadiums for both baseball and football. Hopefully, the stadium can be renovated and used for soccer, concerts, and other types of events. For the 2025 season, the USL soccer team, the Oakland Roots, will play at the Coliseum.
Looking back on it now, a multipurpose stadium would never work in the modern era of sports stadiums. Baseball needs specific dimensions for the game to be played and football needs its own. Multipurpose stadiums such as this create issues when it comes to viewing the games of both sports. Some fans will have trouble seeing some of the action if they are sitting in a particular seat. That is why today’s multipurpose stadiums are all, but eliminated.
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