Tropicana Field

Tropicana Field
The Trop
Tropicana Field in 2022
Tropicana Field is located in Florida
Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field
Location in Florida
Tropicana Field is located in the United States
Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field
Location in the United States
Former namesFlorida Suncoast Dome (1990–1993)
ThunderDome (1993–1996)
AddressOne Tropicana Drive
LocationSt. Petersburg, Florida, United States
Coordinates27°46′6″N 82°39′12″W / 27.76833°N 82.65333°W / 27.76833; -82.65333
Public transit16th Street & 1st Avenue S
OwnerCity of St. Petersburg
OperatorTampa Bay Rays Ltd.
Capacity45,369 (1998)[1]
44,027 (1999)[2]
44,445 (2000–2001)[3]
43,772 (2002–2006)
38,437 (2007)
36,048 (2008)[4]
36,973 (2009–2010)[5]
34,078 (2011–2013)
31,042 (2014–2018)[6]
25,025 (2019–present)
Record attendance48,044, WWE Royal Rumble 2024
Field sizeLeft Field – 315 ft (96 m)
Left-Center – 370 ft (110 m)
Center Field – 404 ft (123 m)
Right-Center – 370 ft (110 m)
Right Field – 322 ft (98 m)
Backstop – 50 ft (15 m)
SurfaceAstroTurf (1998–1999)
FieldTurf (2000–2010)
AstroTurf GameDay Grass (2011–2017)
Shaw Sports Turf (2017–present)
Construction
Broke groundNovember 22, 1986 (November 22, 1986)[7]
OpenedMarch 3, 1990 (March 3, 1990)
Renovated2014[8]
Construction costUS$130 million
($303 million in 2023 dollars[9])
ArchitectHOK Sport (Kansas City)
Lescher & Mahoney Sports (Tampa)
Criswell, Blizzard & Blouin Architects (St. Petersburg)
Structural engineerMartin/Martin Consulting Engineers, Inc. (bowl)
Geiger Engineers P.C. (roof)
Services engineerM-E Engineers, Inc.[10]
General contractorHuber, Hunt & Nichols[11]
Tenants
Tampa Bay Storm (AFL) (1991–1996)
Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) (1993–1996)
Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) (1998–present)
St. Petersburg Bowl (NCAA) (2008–2017)
WWE ThunderDome (Professional wrestling) (2020–2021)

Tropicana Field (nicknamed "The Trop") is a multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. "The Trop" has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball since the team's inaugural season in 1998. The stadium is also used for college football, and from December 2008 to December 2017 was the home of the St. Petersburg Bowl, an annual postseason bowl game. The venue is the only non-retractable domed stadium in Major League Baseball. Tropicana Field is the smallest MLB stadium by seating capacity when obstructed-view rows in the uppermost sections are covered with tarps as they are for most Rays games.[citation needed]

Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and was originally known as the Florida Suncoast Dome. In 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved to the facility and its name was changed to the ThunderDome[12] until the team moved to their new home in downtown Tampa in 1996. In October 1996, Tropicana Products, a fruit juice company then based in nearby Bradenton, signed a 30-year naming rights deal.

Tropicana Field's location and design (especially the ceiling catwalks) have been widely criticized, and it is often cited as one of the worst stadiums in Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball itself has cited the need to replace Tropicana Field as one of the primary obstacles to future MLB expansion.[13][14][15]

In 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays announced a deal with local politicians to build Gas Plant Stadium, a new stadium near Tropicana Field at an expected cost of $1.2 billion, half of which would fall on taxpayers.[16] The St. Petersburg City Council blocked a proposal to allow St. Petersburg citizens to express their view on the stadium subsidy in an advisory referendum.[17]

Much of the translucent, fiberglass roof membrane of Tropicana Field was destroyed by Hurricane Milton on October 9, 2024. The stadium had been set up to serve as a base for relief workers.[18] Due to the plans to break ground on a new stadium for the Rays, the future of the stadium is undetermined; the Rays plan to play their 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, with the possibility of a renovation by 2026.[19]

  1. ^ "1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Schedule, Box Scores and Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  2. ^ Parks, Kyle (March 7, 1999). "More Than Just Show". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 4, 2012.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ LaPeter, Leonora (July 31, 2001). "Trop Given 90 Days to Fix Disabled Access". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  4. ^ "Rays' home opener officially sold out". raysbaseball.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  5. ^ "Major league baseball preview: What's new at the Trop". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  6. ^ Chastain, Bill (December 3, 2013). "Rays Provide Glimpse of Significant Trop Renovations". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  7. ^ "Stadium Ground Broken". Boca Raton News. November 24, 1986. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  8. ^ Ortiz, Jorge (March 31, 2014). "New renovations aimed to draw fans to Tropicana Field". USA Today. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  9. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "Detroit Tigers to roar in Comerica Park". www.achrnews.com. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  11. ^ "Ballparks.com – Tropicana Field". www.Ballparks.com. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  12. ^ Davey, Monica (July 31, 1993). "That rumbling's not so distant". Tampa Bay Times. p. 1B. Retrieved October 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Gartland, Dan (March 28, 2023). "Ranking All 30 MLB Stadiums from Worst to Best". SI.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  14. ^ Joseph, Andrew (March 25, 2023). "All 30 MLB stadiums, ranked: 2023 edition". ForTheWin. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  15. ^ Rosenthal, Ken (January 11, 2021). "MLB expansion is on hold, despite some financial incentives". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Rosenthal, Ken (September 18, 2023). "Rays announce deal for new stadium in St. Petersburg to open in 2028: Baseball is 'here to stay'". The Athletic. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  17. ^ Parker, Mark (November 2, 2023). "St. Pete residents will not vote on Rays stadium deal". St Pete Catalyst. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  18. ^ "Tropicana Field roof ripped off by Hurricane Milton's winds". ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  19. ^ Axelbank, Evan (October 16, 2024). "Multi-million dollar project: The Rays unsure of the Trop's future". FOX 13 News. Retrieved October 17, 2024.