Kick Off: Top 5 Sports Venues

Architizer News

Kick Off: Top 5 Sports Venues

February 1, 2013

Photo: Marcus Bredt

Americans will be glued to their television sets this Sunday for the greatest (American) sports event of the year. Super Bowl XLVII—that’s “47″ for the Roman Numeral illiterate like myself—will kick off promptly at 6:30, at which point the 49ers and the Ravens will clash for the ensuing three hours over a gold trophy and salary bonuses. Of course, the game itself is almost secondary to the Super Bowl “experience,” that delirious mix of joy, community, and stomach aches that comes with conspicuous consumption of beer, nachos, and asinine television commercials.

What I’ll be watching is the architecture, mostly because I know next to nothing about football and because I happen to have a soft spot for the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome (née Lousiana Super Dome). Designed by architects Curtis and Davis in 1967, the building is severe to say the least, and there’s no denying that the blank steel walls are a little drab—perhaps too drab for the night’s celebratory event. As an alternative, these five sport venues are as exuberant as the sporting events they host (or hosted). Click through for the slideshow!