The construction and renovation of sports venues across the world has and always will be a hot topic of debate due to exorbitant price tags and lucrative partnerships. As billions of dollars are pumped into flashy new stadiums, arenas, golf courses and other facilities, we continue to hear the unfortunate stories of those facilities that fell into an inescapable hole of despair, ones that were built for one-time events or simply left abandoned for a variety of financially-driven reasons. While there is no reason to dismiss the appreciation for incredible state-of-the-art venues that have been erected in recent memory, all sports fans should still appreciate those that are inadequate and empty.
With hundreds of facilities left abandoned, let’s peruse some heavy duty images of eery places that still exist today, ones that remind us where the wonderfully enticing world of sports once visited.
Miami Marine Stadium
Miami, Florida
Photo Courtesy: Abandoned Playgrounds
Mackenzie High School Gymnasium
Detroit, Michigan
Photo Courtesy: Imgur.com
Devil’s Nest Ski Resort
Knox County, Nebraska
Photo Courtesy: Ghosts of North America
2004 Athens Olympics Softball Stadium
Athens, Greece
Photo Courtesy: The Guardian
Silverdome
Detroit, Michigan
Photo Courtesy: Associated Press
1984 Sarajevo Olympics Bobsled Track
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Photo Courtesy: Imgur.com
Longhills Golf Course
Benton, Arkansas
Photo Courtesy: Abandonder.com
New National Stadium Vilnius
Vilnius, Lithuania
Photo Courtesy: The Guardian
Astrodome
Houston, Texas
Photo Courtesy: Acidcow.com
Belgium Ice Hockey Arena
Unknown City
Photo Courtesy: Precious Decay
1984 Sarajevo Olympics Ski Jump
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Photo Courtesy: Getty Images
Rainbow Basin Ski Resort
Kirksville, Missouri
Photo Courtesy: Don’t Look Now
Wageningse Berg Stadion
Wageningen, Netherlands
1936 Berlin Olympics Gymnastics Venue
Berlin, Germany
Photo Courtesy: Terry Ivan/Pinterest
Stadion Za Luzankami
Brno, Czech Republic
Photo Courtesy: Kojotisko/Flickr
2006 Torino Olympics Village
Torino, Italy
Photo Courtesy: Popular Mechanics
Hinchliffe Stadium
Paterson, New Jersey
2004 Athens Olympics Diving Pool
Athens, Greece
Photo Courtesy: Business Insider
Unnamed Japanese Ski Resort
Unknown City
Photo Courtesy: Mike’s Blender
1952 Helsinki Olympics Swimming Pool
Helsinki, Finland
Photo Courtesy: Limitless Magazine
Pripyat Stadium
Pripyat, Ukraine
Athens 2004 Olympics BMX Track
Athens, Greece
Photo Courtesy: oobject.com
Compadre Stadium
Chandler, Arizona
Photo Courtesy: Eric & Wendy Pastore
