New NFL And MLB Stadiums Update

Photo of the construction site at AT&T Stadium. Home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Image Credit: John Tornow (CC BY 2.0)

It is 2011 and there are still plenty of professional teams that are in dire need of a new stadium to call home. Funding a stadium's construction almost always seem to be the primary issue. Among the professional sports teams to recently build new stadiums are the Minnesota Twins, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts as well as the New York Giants and New York Jets. Los Angeles is fighting for an NFL franchise which would obviously require the construction of a new stadium somewhere in the metro area. Here is just a brief update of new stadiums you just might get to visit in the future.

Miami Marlins

The new Marlins Ballpark is set to open for the 2012 Major League Baseball season. It will become the league's smallest ballpark and will be the sixth stadium in Major League Baseball to have a retractable roof. The ballpark will be funded thanks to $300 Million in bonds being sold by Miami-Dade County. Naming rights for the ballpark have not been decided. The venue sits on the former Orange Bowl site in the Little Havana section of Miami. Not only will the Marlins have a new ballpark but also a new name; the Miami Marlins. With two World Series titles in 17 short years, this change is possibly what the Marlins need in order to become a Major League powerhouse. But don't hold your breath.

Oakland Athletics

The Athletics organization have made a proposal for a new ballpark which is a step in the right direction. Cisco Field would be the name of their new ballpark but would require the Athletics to move to nearby San Jose, California. A major obstacle the Oakland A's organization is faced with is whether the San Francisco Giants organization would allow the move to take place. The Giants own territorial rights over Santa Clara County.

While the ballpark would be on a small piece of land, construction costs are still estimated to be in the neighborhood of $410M. There are other proposed sites throughout the Oakland-San Francisco metro area, however, any type of stadium construction seems unlikely until the 2014 season. Capacity for Cisco Field would be less than 34,000 meaning it would once again become the smallest ballpark in Major League Baseball behind the new Miami Marlins stadium.

San Francisco 49ers

While Candlestick Park is one of the most storied NFL stadiums in league history, it is definitely showing it's age. The San Francisco 49ers have a proposal for their new stadium which would be built in time for the 2015 NFL Season. The site of the stadium, however, would be in Santa Clara, California and not San Francisco. There have been some rumors circulating that the Oakland Raiders and 49ers could possibly share a stadium together; similar to how Metlife Stadium is shared by the New York Jets and New York Giants. Such a move would take a lot of pressure off of both franchises by allowing them to split costs, which in turn would likely help keep ticket prices low(ish). The 49ers front office have made it clear that if a new stadium agreement falls through, the team will pursue Los Angeles as the new home for the team.

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings lease with the MSFC expires after this season meaning construction for a new stadium needs to be rapid. Talks for a new stadium have been ongoing for quite some time but were revived last December when the roof of the MetroDome collapsed from a heavy snow. With downtown Minneapolis as the most likely site, construction costs have been estimated to be between $600M to upwards of $1B. There is a proposal for the stadium to be built in the Arden Hills suburb of Minneapolis which is also on the table but seems unlikely.

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers front office have looked at Escondido, Chula Vista and Oceanside, California as possible suitors for the new Chargers stadium. Downtown San Diego is also a possibility for the new venue but a lack of funds poses the biggest threat to the plan. Like the San Francisco 49ers organization, the Chargers have also publicly talked about moving the team to Los Angeles. Construction costs would neighbor $1B for a new Chargers stadium as land/real estate in Southern California is very expensive.

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