Although the Showtime Lakers highlighted the venue's heyday, Inglewood's Forum held so much more history than just a decade-long era in the NBA. It not only oversaw the revitalization of the NBA, but it also bore witness to California's introduction to big time hockey as the NHL looked to expand. This is its story. The Conception The sleepy little town of Inglewood, California got a major boost in the early 1920's when oil was discovered. For several years thereafter, oil wel

The Boston Braves went through many name changes in their early years. But whether they were called the Red Stockings, the Red Caps the Beaneaters, the Doves, the Rustlers or, simply, the Braves, what remained constant was their location on the corner of Columbus and Walpole. Even so, they went through three iterations of their ballpark there before deciding to move elsewhere. Although none of the South End Grounds lasted very long, the image of those iconic spires topped off

Under the guise of the Braves' miraculous World Series triumph the year before, Braves owner James E. Gaffney sought to move his club out of the meager surroundings of the South End Grounds. After ground broke on the former sight of the Allston Golf Club on March 20, 1915, Braves Field opened to the public on August 18, 1915 with a hometown 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Osborn Engineering had done a remarkable job with Braves Field, making it the first ballpark to fit

Although it didn't host as much baseball as its operators would have liked, RFK Stadium was the first stadium that was built to host both football and baseball. Unlike other cookie cutter stadiums, its wavy roof seemed to amplify the roar of the crowd. In the 1980's and 1990's, it became a war-like structure as the Redskins bulled their way to three Super Bowl titles behind one of the best offensive lines in the game: the Hogs. But RFK Stadium was much more than just a sports

Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium was synonymous with dominance in the 1970s. With the Reds making it to the World Series four times in the decade and the Bengals innovations, Riverfront Stadium stood out among the other cookie cutters in the 1970s. The Conception The Reds owners began talking about moving out of an aging Crosley Field and building a new ballpark as early as the 1940s, but nothing was ever done about it until talks intensified two decades later. At the time, o

In the first decade of its existence, Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium was known for one thing: winning. Six times, its tenants went to the world championship game or series and six times they came away with the title. In that era, both the Steelers and Pirates dominated the competition while bringing the city to life and out of the muck of a dying steel industry. The Conception Although they had grown fond of their surroundings, the Pirates realized that old Forbes Field h

Sitting deep within a vacant parking lot in the heart of a metropolis that was just beginning to thrive, Arlington Stadium provided the backdrop for the birth of major league baseball in Dallas. Although it never hosted a playoff game, the memory of Arlington Stadium's charm still rings in the memories of longtime Texas Rangers fans. The Conception In 1959, a bond was passed to build a basic minor league ballpark on a 137 acre lot that sat adjacent to Six Flags Over Texas, on

Although it was never known as one of the sport's cathedrals, Northlands Coliseum provided some of the most memorable moments in hockey history. This is the story of "the House that Gretzky Built". The Conception When the World Hockey League was founded in in 1972, it had a dozen teams spread across North America from Los Angeles to Alberta. While the Oilers were originally supposed to represent all of Alberta, they ultimately settled down in Edmonton. As they began their exi

In 1908, George Stallings brokered a deal between a group of Montreal-based investors to purchase the woebegone Royals of the International League. Although the team folded a decade later, Stallings had developed a hunger to not only be a middleman, but to be an owner. In 1927, he formed a group of investors from around the city to purchase the struggling Jersey City Skeeters, relocate them to Montreal and rename them the Royals. While the original Royals had played in tiny A

Although Jarry Park Stadium was notorious for inviting both snow and rain in the middle of baseball season, it served well as the backdrop for inviting a Major League Baseball team to Montreal. Ultimately, the fans didn't care about all of the rescheduled games, they just wanted to watch their beloved Expos. The Conception In the old days, the main baseball park in Montreal was a 20,000 seat venue in the borough of Ville-Marie named Delorimier Stadium. That little stadium was

Although it was oddly shaped, Toronto's Exhibition Stadium became a staple in the city's identity as an athletic epicenter. Not only did it host numerous Grey Cups, but it finally drew an MLB team up north. The Conception In 1879 the city of Toronto signed a long-term lease on 50 acres of a former military reserve just off the banks of Lake Ontario with the goal of developing the site for a number of agricultural and industrial exhibitions. One of the site's more permanent st

Having lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1908 and 1910, the Edmonton Eskimos had outgrown the cozy confines of the Thistle Rink and their owners searched far and wide for the perfect spot to build Edmonton's first indoor arena. Dazzled by the site of the city's old fairgrounds just beyond downtown, the Eskimos set up shop on the southwest corner of 118th Avenue and 73rd Street. The first event was held on Christmas Day, 1913 between the Eskimos and the Dominion Furriers. It w

The saga of Ewing Field begins way back in 1906, when J. Cal Ewing and his partners bought the San Francisco Seals. At the time, his new...

Just after Chutes Park was demolished, developers built its replacement. Since it first opened to an exhibition between the Boston Red...

Very few ballparks in America can compare with Los Angeles's Chutes Park. Surrounded by an amusement park, the ballpark was just the...

It was one of the first dual purpose stadiums, yet always seemed to be a step behind. Still, while other stadiums enjoyed much more success, Shea Stadium provided the backdrop for some of sport's most endearing teams: the 1968 Jets, the 1969 "Miracle" Mets and the 1986 Mets. As it slowly wove its way into the national conscience, Shea Stadium became a beacon of hope in troubled times, for while its teams often struggled, one never knew when they just might shock the world. T

Tampa Stadium was shaped very much like its football team. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started off poorly, they enjoyed a brief renaissance of good fortune before going back into the cellar before emerging like a butterfly out of a cocoon to dominate the NFL. Often referred to by ESPN's Chris Berman as "the Big Sombrero", Tampa Stadium was often the backdrop to the worst football imaginable, yet it still found a way to host two Super Bowls and Pro Bowl, providing lifelong

When the Hollywood Stars moved to Los Angeles in 1938, they spent time in both Wrigley Field and Gilmore Stadium while their permanent home was being built. They truly felt at home once Gilmore Field opened in May 1939, just a stone's throw away from the Stadium yet still located within the dense Gilmore's Farmers Market. Stars owner Bob Cobb was well connected with Hollywood and had even brought in a slew of luminaries such as Gene Autry, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby as min

Earl Gilmore loved auto racing. Having grown enamored with the Indianapolis 500, the man who built the Gilmore Oil Company into a West Coast juggernaut had the means to build a race track of his own. In 1934, he had an 18,000 seat stadium built on the Gilmore Farmer's Market property at West Third Street and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, believing that midget auto racing would be a terrific marketing tool for his oil company. Although he was right, it was the film industry

For nearly half a century, three great outfielders patrolled Fenway Park's left-field, snagging balls at a furious rate while crushing home runs and pacing their Red Sox teammates in virtually every offensive category. But while Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski brought their own unique talents to the ballpark, Jim Rice just might have been the best of the trio when it came to defense. He just seemed to have a feel for the way the ball would bounce off of the Green Monster. T