The Yakima Valley SunDome is a 6,195-seat multi-purpose arena in Yakima, Washington , United States. Located on the Central Washington State Fairgrounds , it hosts sporting events, ice shows, horse shows, circuses, boxing and concerts, as well as trade shows and conventions. The stadium opened on January 16, 1990, and cost $ 14.8 million to construct. The building was designed by architecture firm Loofburrow & Associates.
155-447: The building features a 90-foot (27 m) dome and was the second in the world to use a concrete sectional roof design (24 segments), the first being Seattle's Kingdome . It has 56,000 square feet (5,200 m) of space and can accommodate two basketball courts laid end-to-end. The SunDome initially had 5,200 permanent seats with expanded capacity of up to 8,000 for concerts. The Yakima County government had been interested in building
310-553: A $ 15 million bond issue measure on the ballot to fund construction of a stadium, but voters on November 8 defeated it with only 48 percent approval because of doubt the stadium could be built within that budget, and lack of a guarantee the city would have a team to play in the stadium. By 1966, the National Football League and the American League were both considering granting the city an expansion franchise , and as
465-465: A $ 150 million expansion fee, a significant increase from the $ 100 million that New York City FC paid to join MLS in 2015. MLS announced plans to expand to 30 teams by 2023, and set the expansion fee for the 28th and 29th teams (ultimately Sacramento Republic FC and St. Louis City SC) at $ 200 million. The 30th team, ultimately unveiled as 2022 entry Charlotte FC, reportedly paid $ 325 million. For comparison,
620-421: A combined metro area of over 2 million), a league business model that relies more heavily on equally distributed television revenue that puts small-market teams at less of a disadvantage, and the loyalty of their Cheesehead fan base, whose fans and their next of kin typically renew their season tickets every year until their issue expires, resulting in a centuries-long waiting list for season tickets. Green Bay
775-469: A double that scored Remy, who had stolen second and third base after drawing a walk from Seguí. The Mariners' first batter, Dave Collins , struck out; however, the next batter, José Báez , singled for the franchise's first ever hit. The first home run at the venue was hit in the top of the third inning by Joe Rudi ; designated hitter Juan Bernhardt scored the Mariners' first home run in their fifth game at
930-648: A first-division league, with that title going instead to the Canadian Premier League (CPL). However, Canadian teams in the MLS are regarded as Division I teams, and MLS is generally acknowledged as having a higher quality of play than the CPL, significantly more media coverage and economic success, and has teams based in Canada's three largest metropolitan areas, who together have dominated the Canadian Championship ,
1085-416: A hitter's park, especially in the 1990s when Ken Griffey Jr. , Edgar Martínez , Jay Buhner , Alex Rodriguez , and other sluggers played there. The large number of in-play objects—speakers, roof support wires and streamers—contributed to an "arena baseball" feel. The Kingdome was somewhat improved in 1982 with the addition of a 23-foot (7.0 m) wall in right field nicknamed the "Walla Walla" (after
1240-504: A letter to the Seattle City Council suggesting the city needed a covered stadium for a major professional sports franchise. A domed stadium was thought to be a must because of Seattle's frequent rain. At the time, the city had Husky Stadium and Sick's Stadium for college football and minor league baseball , respectively, but both were deemed inadequate for a major league team. In 1960, King County commissioners placed
1395-703: A metro area of that size being the Buffalo Sabres ). While only one MLB team, the San Diego Padres , is located in a market that has no other major league teams, six NBA teams are located in cities devoid of any additional "Big Four" franchises: the Memphis Grizzlies , Oklahoma City Thunder , Orlando Magic , Portland Trail Blazers , Sacramento Kings , and San Antonio Spurs . Four of these six NBA-only cities also lack an MLS team (Memphis, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, San Antonio). The Salt Lake City market, home to
1550-411: A multi-league knockout competition which technically decides the national champions of Canada. This makes Canada unusual in awarding its national soccer championship to the winner of its premier knockout tournament, rather than the winners of its highest-level league competition. MLS is unique among U.S. and Canada's major sports leagues in that the teams take part in multiple separate tournament outside
1705-671: A multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue on the Central Washington State Fairgrounds since the 1970s and proposed a $ 15 million bond issue in 1980 to fund construction of a 14,000-seat indoor arena. The proposal, named "Centra", was rejected by voters in the November 1980 election. A second attempt in 1985 was approved using $ 6.8 million in state funding and matches from local governments. The SunDome opened on January 16, 1990, and hosted its first event—a Kenny Rogers concert—that same day. The stadium's exterior
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#17328519785501860-460: A pitching change as Indians' pitcher Orel Hershiser was walking off the mound following a home run by Edgar Martínez . After an inspection by engineers, the game was continued the next evening, resulting in a 6–4 win for the Indians. Seguí, who retired from professional baseball after the 1977 season, was invited by the Mariners to throw the ceremonial last pitch after the final Mariners game at
2015-717: A playing surface that was despised by both football and baseball players alike; after the 1998 season, a survey by the NFL Players Association found that 56.7 percent of Seahawks players rated the surface as "poor" or "fair", and was the worst-rated one in the AFC West . Injuries from playing at the Kingdome and its contemporaries occurred more often compared to stadiums with natural grass. Of note, Seahawks running backs Sherman Smith and Curt Warner respectively suffered season-ending knee injuries in 1980 and 1984 during games at
2170-587: A population of more than 1 million host at least one major sports franchise. All five U.S.-based major leagues each currently have at least two teams in both the New York/North Jersey area and the Los Angeles/Anaheim market. MLB, which historically (as a result of its history as two rival leagues) had a team in each component league in Boston, Philadelphia and St. Louis up until the mid-20th century, and in
2325-450: A ramp and plunged 47 feet to his death; this was despite the installation of signs warning about the chest-level barriers the previous year. Logistics would be a problem throughout the team's tenure at the Kingdome because the Seahawks and Mariners had scheduling priority over them, especially during the playoffs when the Mariners were playing there at the same time in the spring. As part of
2480-523: A result, the King County Council placed another bond issue measure on the ballot for a September vote. While it received 51.5 percent approval, it did not reach the 60 percent required to proceed; the requirement was due to a 1932 initiative that mandated a supermajority for tax levies over 40 mills . In 1967, the American League granted Seattle an expansion franchise that would be known as
2635-520: A slow upward trend for the league. Its level of play is generally recognized as on the second tier of professional football, with the CFL having a slight advantage in player recruitment compared to second-tier American leagues such as the UFL due to the CFL's longer established history. Major professional sports leagues are distinguished from other sports leagues in terms of business and economic factors, popularity of
2790-720: A small part of North Carolina. The largest TV market without a major franchise is the Hartford – New Haven market, covering all of Connecticut except the former Fairfield County ; Hartford's last major league squad, the NHL's Whalers , left in 1997. The NHL has been the dominant professional sports league in Canada, and was first established in Canada in 1917. The NHL was initially based entirely in eastern Canada. By 1925, Hamilton and Quebec City no longer had NHL teams, while Ottawa left in 1934, by which point American teams were slowly being added. The first Canadian expansion launched in 1970 with
2945-653: A stadium in 1960 and 1966, but the outcome was different in 1968; King County voters approved the issue of $ 40 million in municipal bonds to construct the stadium. Construction began in 1972 and the stadium opened in 1976 as the home of the Sounders and Seahawks. The Mariners moved in the following year , and the SuperSonics moved in the year after that , only to move back to the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1985. The stadium hosted several major sports events, including
3100-570: A team from the league's unsuccessful 1990s-era South Division . The CFL has had either eight or nine teams in operation since its inception except for the 1994 and 1995 seasons in which the league temporarily expanded into the United States. Each of the Big Four leagues has at least 30 teams (the NFL has had 32 teams since 2002 and the NHL added its 32nd team in 2021), and each has had at least 29 teams since
3255-559: A team in Vancouver ; the NHL later added teams in Edmonton , Winnipeg and Quebec City (through absorption of WHA franchises), Calgary (via relocation from Atlanta ) and Ottawa (via expansion) to go with the still-extant Toronto and Montreal teams. The distinctive place ice hockey holds in Canadian culture allowed these franchises to compete with teams in larger cities for some time. However,
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#17328519785503410-525: Is a relatively recent situation. Historically, the league was concentrated in the northeast, with no teams south of New York City or west of Chicago from 1935 until 1967. The league expanded its footprint westward in a 1967 expansion but, other than the unsuccessful Atlanta Flames , avoided the South until making a major expansion into the territory in the 1990s. Both the NBA and MLS have higher concentrations of teams in
3565-524: Is one of two NFL teams, the other being the Jacksonville Jaguars , that are the only major league franchises in their metropolitan area. Both MLB and the NFL have had two prolonged recent exceptions in which the league was absent from one of the U.S.'s ten most populous metropolitan areas; from 1972 to 2004, ninth-place Washington, D.C., had no MLB team , and from 1995 to 2016, second-place Los Angeles had no NFL teams . The NHL's national footprint
3720-528: Is the only "Big Four" league to have been founded in Canada. It was formed in 1917 as a successor to the Canadian National Hockey Association (founded in 1909), taking all but one of the NHA's teams. The NHL partially absorbed the rival World Hockey Association in 1979. There are 32 teams, with 25 in the U.S. and 7 in Canada. The most popular sports league in Canada, and widely followed across
3875-629: Is the only major league that does not have any teams in markets with fewer than 1.75 million people; both it and the NFL have teams in every U.S. market with over 4 million people. The NHL is the major league that least follows the general trend, due to the fact that a disproportionate number of its franchises are in cities with cold winters. The NHL lacks teams in a number of southern metropolitan areas with populations of over 3 million (Houston, Atlanta, San Diego) but has five teams in northern metropolitan areas with fewer than 1.25 million people, all of which are in or adjacent to Canada (the lone American team in
4030-442: Is the top-level men's professional soccer league in the United States. As of the league's 2024 season, MLS has 29 teams, with 26 in the United States and 3 in Canada, with one more U.S. team, San Diego FC , scheduled to start play in 2025. The league began play in 1996, its creation a requirement by FIFA for awarding the United States the right to host the 1994 World Cup . MLS was the first major Division I outdoor soccer league in
4185-474: The 1978–79 season after the expiration of their contract with the city of Seattle, the owner of the Coliseum; the team pushed for a move to the Kingdome after the city balked at a $ 30 million plan to expand the Coliseum to 20,000 seats the previous year. On August 22, the King County Council voted 7–2 to approve a 17-year lease with the SuperSonics, with the agreement signed the following day. The following week,
4340-536: The American Football League in 1970. It has 32 teams, all located in the United States. As of 2015 , NFL games have the largest per-game attendance among domestic professional leagues in the world, and is the most popular league in the U.S. in terms of television ratings and merchandising. Its championship game, the Super Bowl , is the most watched annual event on U.S. television, with Super Bowl XLIX being
4495-536: The American Soccer League (1921–1933) (ASL) and original North American Soccer League (1968–1984) (NASL). Major League Soccer (MLS) was established in 1996. Major League Baseball is the highest level of play of baseball in the United States and Canada. and the oldest of the major American leagues. It consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). With
4650-588: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts , trace their origins to the late 1860s and early 1870s, which ranks them amongst the oldest professional sports teams of any kind still in existence on the continent. From 1993 to 1995, the CFL attempted expansion into the United States to cities without NFL teams, but all the clubs folded, while the management structure of the Baltimore Stallions
4805-755: The Industrial District (later SoDo ) neighborhood of Seattle , Washington , United States. Owned and operated by King County , it was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) and the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB); it was also home to the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) (from 1978 to 1985) and additionally served as both
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4960-636: The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (which dated to 1907) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (which was founded in 1936), and became independent from the Canadian Rugby Union in 1958. The league now consists of nine teams, all based in Canada. The Grey Cup is awarded annually to the champion every November and is the highest-attended sporting event in the nation. The oldest extant teams,
5115-598: The Kansas City Royals . However, when Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri got wind of those plans, he demanded both teams begin play in 1969. The American League had birthed the Royals and Pilots as a result of the Kansas City Athletics moving to Oakland , and Symington would not accept the prospect of Kansas City waiting three years for baseball's return. On February 13, 1968, King County voters approved
5270-519: The Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. Each of the current major leagues has franchises placed nationwide, with multiple franchises in each of the United States' four census regions —Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Major leagues tend to place franchises only in the largest, most populated metropolitan areas. Most major league teams are in metropolitan areas having populations of more than 2 million. All but 12 continental U.S. metropolitan areas with
5425-539: The National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Other prominent leagues include Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). MLB, the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL are commonly referred to as the " Big Four ". Each of these is the wealthiest professional club competition in its sport worldwide, and along with
5580-505: The New York Yankees ) may even partially or fully own the cable network upon which their games are broadcast, and often receive more revenue from local broadcasts than any other source. NFL teams, which generally play once per week, do not negotiate local broadcast contracts, but are allowed to negotiate their own television deals for preseason games with syndication and broadcast stations. The current MLS broadcast deals took effect with
5735-546: The Ohio League , and the National Hockey Association formed the basis of the modern MLB, NFL, and NHL, respectively. Basketball was invented in 1891, and its first professional league formed in the 1920s. The Basketball Association of America , founded in 1946, formed the basis of the NBA in 1949 and has lasted for over 75 years. Soccer was first professionalized in 1894, with past U.S.-based leagues including
5890-602: The Ohio League , the New York Pro Football League , and the Chicago circuit as a successor to Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit . For its first two seasons, 1920 and 1921, it was known as the "American Professional Football Association" (APFA) before changing its name to the current name in 1922. The NFL partially absorbed the All-America Football Conference in 1949 and merged with
6045-619: The Pac-8 single-game rushing record; the Trojans won by nine points, 23–14. In 1994, under then-new athletic director Rick Dickson , the Cougars flirted with the idea of hosting an additional home game at the Kingdome starting in 1997; however, the plan never came to fruition. In the late 1970s, the Kingdome hosted both instances of a Pacific-10 Conference all-star game called the Challenge Bowl;
6200-714: The Portland Trail Blazers on September 22, 1978. A few weeks later, a crowd of 15,219 watched as the SuperSonics defeated the Chicago Bulls , 104–86, on October 14 in their first regular-season game as a tenant. Captain Fred Brown and leading scorer Gus Williams helped lead the team to their first and only championship that season, defeating the Washington Bullets in the Finals and avenging their Finals loss to them
6355-660: The Saskatchewan Roughriders , in a market not served by any other major league (the Hamilton Tiger-Cats , while having their city to themselves, are on the outskirts of both the Niagara Frontier (less than 50 miles from Buffalo) and the extended Greater Toronto Area ). The newest market any of the Big Four leagues has entered is the Las Vegas Valley , which received the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and
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6510-474: The Seattle Mariners was born. The Mariners held their first game in franchise history at the Kingdome on April 6, 1977 , against the California Angels . The Angels shut out the Mariners 7–0 in front of a sellout crowd of 57,762. The first pitch was a strike thrown by the Mariners' Diego Seguí to Jerry Remy . In the top of the first inning, Don Baylor registered the first hit at the stadium with
6665-539: The Seattle Pilots . The league clearly stated Sick's Stadium was not adequate as a major-league stadium, and stipulated that as a condition of being awarded the franchise, bonds had to be issued to fund construction of a domed stadium that had to be completed by 1970; additionally, the capacity at Sick's Stadium had to be expanded from 11,000 to 30,000 by Opening Day 1969, when the team was scheduled to begin playing. The Pilots were supposed to begin play in 1971 along with
6820-637: The Seattle SuperSonics played a National Basketball Association preseason game at the SunDome against the Denver Nuggets . The Sonics won 79–73 in front of 5,002 spectators. This article about a sports venue in Washington state is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kingdome The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium ) was a multi-purpose stadium located in
6975-576: The Seattle market . After the blackout of the October 24, 1993 game versus the New England Patriots , one more game was blacked out that year, with five games blacked out the following year; KING-TV , which as Seattle's NBC affiliate was the Seahawks' local broadcast home at the time, prevented further blackouts by purchasing all remaining unsold tickets for three games in 1993 and two games in 1994. In
7130-895: The Soccer Bowl in August 1976 , the Pro Bowl in January 1977 , the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in July 1979 , the NBA All-Star Game in 1987 , and the NCAA Final Four in 1984 , 1989 , and 1995 . During the 1990s, the Seahawks' and Mariners' respective ownership groups began to question the suitability of the Kingdome as a venue for each team, threatening to relocate unless new, publicly funded stadiums were built. An issue
7285-438: The United States Census Bureau as Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), California's Inland Empire is the largest without a major franchise. However, it is part of Greater Los Angeles , a region defined by the US Census as a Combined Statistical Area (CSA), and is thus part of the Los Angeles television market. The largest CSA without a major franchise is the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia, spilling over into
7440-407: The University of Washington for a few games when both the Kingdome and the Coliseum were unavailable. Along with the scheduling issues, as with other multipurpose stadiums used by the NBA the Kingdome proved itself to be a less-than-ideal venue for basketball. Although the Kingdome's capacity allowed the SuperSonics to set attendance records, the vast space it afforded meant that it did not have
7595-413: The Utah Jazz (as well as MLS team Real Salt Lake ), lacked another major-league team before the quasi-relocation of the Arizona Coyotes after the 2023–24 season. The NFL has one major exception. The Green Bay Packers survive in major league sports' smallest metropolitan area (300,000 population) thanks to unique nonprofit corporate ownership , proximity to the neighboring Milwaukee market (giving
7750-399: The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)'s 1A and 2A high school basketball tournaments; WIAA B, BB, A, AA, AAA, & AAAA high school volleyball tournaments; and the WIAA Dance and Drill 2B, 1A, 2A & 3A state championships. The stadium was the home of the Yakima Sun Kings , a Continental Basketball Association team, from 1990 to 2008; the team was later revived as
7905-445: The "Big Four" leagues are televised on the four largest U.S. broadcast TV networks— ABC , CBS , NBC , and Fox . They enjoy strong TV viewer ratings, and their leagues earn significant revenues from these TV contracts. All of the top four major sports leagues have had television contracts with at least one of the original "big three" U.S. broadcast television networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) since those networks' early years, indicative of
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#17328519785508060-399: The 1977 agreement, King County agreed to pay the SuperSonics $ 15,000 for each game (up to five) that was moved elsewhere because of booking issues. Even then, the scheduling priority meant that the SuperSonics would only play home playoff games at the Kingdome while the Mariners were on the road, with most of the games played at the Coliseum; the team even had to use Hec Edmundson Pavilion at
8215-429: The 1978 NBA Finals; they set it again on April 15, 1980, during a conference semifinal game against the Milwaukee Bucks with an attendance record of 40,172 (also since broken). The Kingdome regular season, single-game attendance record of 38,067 was set on November 22, 1991, when the SuperSonics faced the Chicago Bulls . While leaving a SuperSonics game on February 16, 1983, a 21-year-old man from Olympia fell off
8370-443: The 1988 season. The Dolphins scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to win 20–17; it marked the first home playoff loss for the Seahawks as well as the first road playoff win in 28 years for the Dolphins. It was the last NFL victory for Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and head coach Jimmy Johnson , and it was also the last event the Kingdome ever hosted before its implosion. The Seahawks had an overall record of 101–83 (.549) in
8525-434: The 1999 season, and the Seahawks temporarily moved to Husky Stadium after the 1999 season . On March 26, 2000, the Kingdome was demolished by implosion . The Seahawks' new stadium, now known as Lumen Field , was built on the site and opened in 2002 . King County finally paid off the bonds used to build and repair the Kingdome in 2015, fifteen years after its demolition. In 1959, Seattle restaurateur David L. Cohn wrote
8680-459: The 2023 season. The league's primary media partner is Apple , which paid a reported $ 2.5 billion for exclusive worldwide streaming rights from 2023 to 2032. All league games are streamed on the MLS Season Pass service on Apple TV+ . English and Spanish commentary are available for all matches, and games involving Canadian teams are also available in French. Linear television rights for 2023–2026 are held by Fox Sports in both English and Spanish in
8835-422: The 2035–36 season, will be with ABC/ESPN, NBC, Peacock , and Amazon , and also covers the WNBA for its 2026–2036 seasons. It is expected to generate total annual revenues of $ 6.9 billion, with a reported split of roughly $ 6.7 billion for the NBA and $ 200 million for the WNBA. The NHL's current U.S. television deal with ABC/ESPN and Turner Sports took effect with the 2021–22 season and runs through 2027–28. While
8990-414: The ALDS. Before the 1990 replacement, the AstroTurf surface was converted from baseball to football configuration via the covering of the infield with turf strips; a one-piece surface was placed over the infield after the conclusion of the Mariners season. The surface was attached together via both Velcro and Ziploc fasteners. After the 1990 replacement, separate surfaces were installed for each team;
9145-550: The Arizona Coyotes. Since 2002 expansion franchises have commanded huge entry fees, which represent the price the new team must pay to gain its share of the existing teams' often guaranteed revenue streams. The Houston Texans paid $ 700 million to join the NFL in 2002. By comparison, the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets) paid $ 300 million to join the NBA. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays (originally Devil Rays) paid $ 130 million each to join MLB. The NHL's Seattle Kraken (which started play in 2021), paid $ 650 million to join
9300-402: The Coliseum after the 1984–85 season in exchange for upgrades there. The SuperSonics faced the Phoenix Suns at the Kingdome on April 7, 1985, in their final game as a regular tenant, losing 110–125 with 5,672 in attendance. However, exemplifying the scheduling issues, it was not their final home game of the season; the SuperSonics were forced to play at the Tacoma Dome on April 11 because
9455-548: The English Premier League they make up the top five sports leagues by revenue in the world. Each of the Big Four leagues, as well as MLS and the CFL, averages at least 15,000 fans in attendance per game as of 2023 . The NFL has the largest stadiums on average in the world, ranging in capacity from just under 60,000 to almost 100,000 spectators, while MLB ballparks generally hold between 30,000 and 50,000 fans. Venues used primarily by MLS and CFL vary more widely in capacity, from about 20,000 to about 60,000. The two indoor leagues,
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#17328519785509610-472: The Kingdome in 1999. However, while they were able to make the tickets and reservations for Seguí, a payment mix-up prevented him from boarding the flight out of Kansas City International Airport on the day of the game; the incident made him irate such that he refused to visit Seattle again until 2012 , when he was invited as part of the Mariners' 35th anniversary celebration. Despite the disappointment from Seguí's son, then-Mariners first baseman David Segui ,
9765-416: The Kingdome in which they lost 27–20 before a crowd of 60,825. The Seahawks' first regular season game was against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Kingdome on September 12. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks, 30–24, with 58,441 fans in attendance. At the end of that season, the venue hosted the Pro Bowl , the NFL's all-star game, on January 17, 1977. The Seahawks hosted Monday Night Football games at
9920-421: The Kingdome on April 10. The Mariners had their first win at the Kingdome and team history two games after the opener (they were also shut out in their second game 2–0), defeating the Angels 7–6 on April 8 via a walk-off double from Larry Milbourne . The venue hosted the All-Star Game on July 17, 1979 . The Kingdome was somewhat problematic as a baseball venue. Foul territory was quite large, and seats in
10075-414: The Kingdome twelve times in their history and were 9–3 in those games. The Seahawks and the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders played five Monday Night games in the Kingdome in the 1980s with Seattle holding a 3–2 edge including a 37–0 blowout victory in 1986. The next year, in 1987 , Bo Jackson of the Los Angeles Raiders rushed for 221 yards, the most ever on MNF, and scored 2 touchdowns. One of his scores
10230-416: The Kingdome twice; the Loggers won both contests, defeating the Lutes 23–21 on September 17, 1977, with 13,167 in attendance, and then defeating them again 27–14 on September 23, 1978, before a crowd of 8,329. The 1977 game set a series attendance record at the time. The stadium also hosted the annual WIAA high school football state championships in an event called the Kingbowl from 1977 through 1994;
10385-538: The Kingdome was ultimately not needed as the grandstand was completed in time for the team's first home game against the Stanford Cardinal on September 5. (Seven years later, the Seattle Seahawks would use Husky Stadium as their home field during the first half of the 1994 season while the Kingdome's ceiling was under repair. ) The Kingdome also hosted a game between the Washington State Cougars and USC Trojans on October 9, 1976. With 37,268 in attendance, USC running back Ricky Bell rushed for 346 yards and set
10540-465: The Kingdome, and were 2–1 in the postseason. The first football (and college football by extension) game played in the Kingdome occurred just after it opened in 1976, when the Washington Huskies varsity team won 10–7 against a team of Husky alumni on May 1 before 20,470 fans. The Huskies looked into temporarily renting the Kingdome for the 1987 season when the north grandstand of Husky Stadium collapsed during construction on February 25; however,
10695-409: The Kingdome, compiling an overall home record of 852–903 (.485) during their 22½-season tenure there. Besides the Mariners and Seahawks, the stadium also hosted the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven seasons. The SuperSonics, having previously played at the Seattle Center Coliseum , announced on July 29, 1977, that they intended to move into the Kingdome for
10850-406: The Kingdome; additionally, the Kingdome's surface is partly blamed for Ken Griffey Jr. 's subsequent injuries and decline in performance after the Mariners traded him to the Cincinnati Reds at the end of the 1999 season. The expansion Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) played their first game ever on August 1, 1976 , a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at
11005-437: The Los Angeles-based Chivas USA squad folded in 2014. MLS has had one franchise relocate, the San Jose Earthquakes , which became Houston Dynamo FC in 2006; the Earthquakes returned as an expansion club in 2008, inheriting the pre-relocation history of the original Earthquakes. All seven CFL franchises between Vancouver and Toronto have been in place since the BC Lions were founded in 1954. The league has had problems in
11160-439: The MLS regular and playoff season; the knockout U.S. Open Cup for United States teams and Canadian Championship for Canadian teams, cross-border/regional Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup and the continental CONCACAF Champions Cup and FIFA Club World Cup . The Canadian Football League is the highest level of play in Canadian football . The league was organized in 1956 as a cooperative agreement between two regional leagues,
11315-513: The Mariners 9–8 in 17 innings via a three-run homer from Manny Ramirez off Bob Wells ; Paul Shuey staved off a comeback by the Mariners in the bottom of the inning to end the game the next morning after five hours and 23 minutes. The most noteworthy baseball game in the Kingdome's history took place on October 8, 1995 ; in the rubber game of the ALDS , the Mariners defeated the New York Yankees 6–5 in 11 innings in front of 57,411 raucous fans. In
11470-445: The Mariners covered seats in the upper decks in right and right-center with a tarp in order to make the stadium feel "less empty". Additionally, the Kingdome's acoustics created problems for stadium announcers, who had to deal with significant echo issues. However, when the team's fortunes began to change in the mid-1990s and they began drawing larger crowds, especially in the post-season, the noise created an electric atmosphere and gave
11625-517: The Mariners hosted the Oakland Athletics at the Kingdome that day. By that point, the SuperSonics had an average attendance of 7,399, failing to surpass 10,000 seats sold in 29 of 37 games held at the Kingdome in their final season there. Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada traditionally include four leagues: Major League Baseball (MLB),
11780-481: The Mariners' first 18 years, their poor play (they did not have a winning season until 1991 ) combined with the Kingdome's design, led to poor attendance. Some writers and fans called it "the Tomb" (because of its gray concrete and lack of noise) and " Puget Puke." After their inaugural home opener, the Mariners didn't have another sellout for the next 1,018 home games until their 1990 home opener on April 13. At one point
11935-462: The NFL plays a limited number of annual games in stadiums of Germany's Bundesliga , and less often plays games in stadiums of Mexico's Liga MX , Brazil's Brasileirão , and Spain's La Liga . The Big Four leagues currently have 30 to 32 teams each, most of which are concentrated in the most populous metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada. Unlike the promotion and relegation systems used in sports leagues in various other regions around
12090-578: The NHL and NBA, play mostly in arenas that hold 18,000 to 20,000 seats. There is a significant number of multi-purpose venues that host events in both NFL and MLS (5), CFL and MLS (2), MLB and MLS (1), and NBA and NHL (10). Teams in MLB and the NFL no longer share stadiums, although there are frequent examples of MLB and NFL teams sharing stadiums in the past. The NFL and MLB also play a limited number of annual games in English Premier League stadiums, and
12245-412: The NHL did not announce the amount, outside reports indicated that ABC and ESPN parent company Disney was paying a total of about $ 400 million and Turner about $ 225 million annually. This $ 625 million annual contract for American rights is in addition to the $ 433 million annual fee Rogers Sportsnet pays for Canadian rights. All four major sports leagues have launched a network of their own— NBA TV in
12400-663: The Ottawa Redblacks paid C$ 7 million to join the Canadian Football League. All of the top four major leagues exhibit stability in most of their franchises . No team from the top four leagues has collapsed outright since the 1970s. The last team to contract was the NHL's Cleveland Barons in 1978, when financial pressures forced a merger with the Minnesota North Stars . MLB voted in 2001 to contract from 30 teams to 28 , but ran into opposition and never executed
12555-464: The Pilots would not survive long enough to move to their new stadium without new ownership. It was also obvious that the timetable for a new stadium would have to be significantly advanced, as Sick's Stadium was completely unsuitable even for temporary use. However, a petition by stadium opponents brought the dome project to a halt. The Pilots' ownership group ran out of money by the end of the season, and with
12710-515: The San Francisco Bay Area until the Athletics move from Oakland to Las Vegas following the 2024 season , still has separate AL and NL teams in Chicago. Twelve American metropolitan areas have a complete set of one or more teams in each of the Big Four leagues; of these, only Detroit does not have an MLS team. MLB, more than any other major league, focuses its teams in the largest markets. MLB
12865-498: The Seahawks specifically wanted a stiffer variation of AstroTurf. The replacement surfaces were attached together via zippers . The underlying base of the surface was asphalt , with the AstroTurf essentially consisting of a carpet on top of a pad with respective thicknesses of one-half inch and five-eights inch. Lumps, holes, and ridges were also present in the surface along with gaps within its seams. These factors combined to create
13020-423: The Seahawks' heyday, the Kingdome was known as one of the loudest stadiums in the league. Opposing teams were known to practice with jet engine sounds blaring at full blast to prepare for the painfully high decibel levels typical of Seahawks games. It was where Seahawks fans, who were long called "the 12th Man " and led the Seahawks to retire the number 12 in honor of them in 1984 , made their reputation as one of
13175-939: The SunKings in the North American Premier Basketball from 2018 to 2019. The SunDome has also occasionally hosted indoor American football , including the Yakima Shockwave of the National Indoor Football League in 2001, the Yakima Valley Warriors of the American Indoor Football Association in 2010, and the Yakima Canines of the American West Football Conference in 2021. On October 19, 2002,
13330-463: The Tacoma Dome; the game came back for one final time in 1999 before the stadium was demolished. Shortly after the Pilots' departure for Milwaukee, the city of Seattle, King County, and the state of Washington sued the American League , claiming a breach of contract . The league agreed to grant Seattle another franchise in exchange for dropping the lawsuit, and the team that would later be known as
13485-844: The U.S. in 1999 and in Canada in 2001, the NFL Network in 2003, the NHL Network in Canada in 2001 and in the U.S. in 2007, and the MLB Network in 2009. All networks remain in operation today except for the Canadian NHL Network, which was shut down shortly before the league's 2015–16 season. Teams in MLB, the NBA, and the NHL—which play several days per week—negotiate contracts with local broadcasters to air most of their games, both terrestrial networks and regional sports networks . Some teams (such as
13640-812: The U.S. since the North American Soccer League (NASL) operated from 1968 to 1984. MLS has increased in popularity following the adoption of the Designated Player Rule in 2007, which allowed MLS to sign stars such as David Beckham (from whom the rule took its colloquial name 'the Beckham rule'), Thierry Henry , and Lionel Messi . In 2017, MLS reported an average attendance of 22,112 per game, with total attendance exceeding 8.2 million overall, both breaking previous MLS attendance records, while 2018 saw Atlanta United FC break multiple single-game attendance records, with crowd figures of over 70,000 among
13795-761: The US, and the English-language TSN and French-language RDS in Canada. Before the Apple TV+ deal, MLS matches were shown in English on ESPN and Fox Sports, and in Spanish on Univision. MLS's eight-year contracts for U.S. rights for the 2015–2022 seasons earned a combined $ 105 million annually. The CFL's current television deal with TSN pays the league at least $ 50 million per year until 2026. Its American broadcast contract with CBS Sports Network pays $ 1 million per year for 34 of
13950-465: The World Series and it was 90 years until another World Series was not played, in 1994, due to a work stoppage. The two leagues merged on an organizational level in 2000 with the elimination of separate league offices; they have shared a single Commissioner since 1920. There are currently 30 member teams, with 29 located in the U.S. and 1 in Canada. Traditionally called the " National Pastime ", baseball
14105-428: The addition of Minnesota United FC in 2017 and Inter Miami CF in 2020, along with the departure of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes from Phoenix in 2024, MLS has a team in every market with a complete set of teams in each of the Big Four major leagues except Detroit. The CFL had a total of six teams in the United States over a three-year period between 1993 and 1995, all in medium-sized markets that lacked an NFL team at
14260-460: The addition of another team in the same market unless the current team's owners consent, to avoid competition for ticket sales and televesion rights. Agreements to share are market are generally obtained in exchange for compensation, residual rights, or both. For example, to obtain the consent of the Baltimore Orioles to place an MLB team in Washington (about 35 miles (56 km) away), a deal
14415-411: The average attendance of all professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada that have an average attendance of 15,000 or higher. Major-league franchises are generally worth very large amounts of money, due in large part to high revenues earned by the league's teams. These franchise valuations are reflected in periodic analyses of teams' values, as well as by the expansion fees commanded by
14570-546: The bottom of the 11th, Martinez doubled to left , sending Joey Cora and Griffey home with the winning runs and vaulting the Mariners into the ALCS for the first time in franchise history. On May 2, 1996 , a game at the Kingdome between the Mariners and the Cleveland Indians was suspended in the bottom of the seventh inning because of a minor earthquake . The earthquake, estimated at a magnitude of 5.3 to 5.4, occurred during
14725-698: The bowl, sponsored by the Olympia Brewing Company , pitted an all-star team of Pac-10 players against a similar team from another conference. The Pac-10 went undefeated with a 27–20 victory (as the Pac-8) over the Big Ten on January 15, 1978, and a 36–23 victory over the Big Eight on January 13, 1979. During the same period, the University of Puget Sound Loggers and Pacific Lutheran University Lutes also faced off at
14880-467: The ceremony went on as planned; David's son, then-seven-year-old Cory Segui, threw the last pitch to Bob Stinson , who was the Mariners' catcher in their first game. In 1989 , Griffey Jr. hit a home run in his first-ever plate appearance at the Kingdome on April 10. On June 27, 1999 , Griffey Jr. hit the last home run ever at the Kingdome against the Texas Rangers . The Mariners played 1,755 games at
15035-410: The city in southeastern Washington); a nearly $ 100,000 Daktronics out-of-town scoreboard was later installed on it in 1990. In 1990 and 1991 , the moving of home plate closer to the backstop, the addition of box seats down the third base line and the removal of a few rows of seats in left field reduced foul territory and made the outfield dimensions longer and asymmetrical. In its early years,
15190-452: The contraction plan. Unlike leagues that use a system of promotion and relegation , franchises in these leagues are stable and do not change annually. Relocation of teams is generally uncommon compared to minor leagues. However, all of the top four major leagues have had at least one franchise relocate to another city since 2004. Among the Big Four leagues, the NFL has had the most relocations occurring recently, relocating three teams over
15345-465: The council unanimously voted on August 29 to spend $ 1.5 million on improvements to the Kingdome in preparation for the team; the team would pay the same amount over the first seven years as part of the agreement. Additional terms of the agreement had the SuperSonics pay the county 10 percent of ticket sale proceeds (not including admissions taxes) and $ 2,539 in personnel costs per game; the county additionally kept all game concession and parking revenue. On
15500-440: The country's very high level of hockey fandom. A 2013 study by Nate Silver estimated that all of these markets had roughly the same numbers of avid hockey fans as U.S. markets with several times their total population. The Canadian Football League has teams in all seven current NHL markets, in addition to Hamilton, Ontario , and Regina, Saskatchewan . At least eight of these nine markets have hosted CFL teams every year since
15655-557: The course of the late 2010s. The NHL is the most recent of the Big Four to expand, having added the Las Vegas-based Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and the Seattle Kraken in 2021. None of the other Big Four leagues have added expansion teams since 2004. In the fifty years between 1903 and 1953, MLB experienced no franchise changes—no new franchises, no franchises ceasing operations, and no franchises moving—marking
15810-487: The domed stadium continued despite the lack of a major league sports team to occupy it. In May 1970 voters rejected the proposal to build the stadium at Seattle Center. From 1970 to 1972, the commission studied the feasibility and economic impact of building the stadium on King Street adjacent to Pioneer Square and the International District —a site that ranked at the bottom when the commission originally narrowed
15965-445: The establishment of the American League in 1901 also came the trademarking of "Major League Baseball". Cooperation between the two leagues began in 1903 inasmuch as the two league champions began playing a " World Series ". In 1904, however, there was no World Series played because one of the league champions refused to play. During the offseason, the owners of each league voted to have the league champions automatically play one another in
16120-466: The field of possible sites in 1968. This drew sharp opposition primarily from the International District community, which feared the impact of the stadium on neighborhood businesses located east of the site. The King Street site was approved 8–1 by the county council in late 1971, and the groundbreaking ceremony in 1972 was held on November 2. Several protesters attended the ceremony, disrupted
16275-411: The floor of the arena as well as additional scoreboards and a new basketball court. The center circle of the court was positioned over first base, with the court itself laid parallel and adjacent to the right-field seats; the portable seats were positioned across the court with one end hovering over home plate. The first SuperSonics game in the Kingdome under the agreement was an exhibition game versus
16430-422: The grounds of Seattle Center , site of the 1962 World's Fair . Community members decried the idea, claiming the committee was influenced by special interest groups. The Pilots began play as planned in 1969 , but Sick's Stadium proved to be a problematic venue for fans, media, and visiting players alike. The Pilots only drew 677,000 fans that season, not nearly enough to break even. It soon became apparent that
16585-420: The highest team attendances worldwide. With a total attendance of nearly 11 million and an average of over 22,000, MLS has the fifth-largest and third-largest, total and average attendances respectively, among the sports league in U.S. and Canada ( see § Attendance ), had the seventh-highest attendance among global professional soccer leagues. The Canadian Soccer Association does not sanction MLS as
16740-457: The home outdoor and indoor venue for the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Kingdome measured 660 feet (200 m) wide from its inside walls. The idea of constructing a covered stadium for a major league football or baseball team was first proposed to Seattle officials in 1959. Voters rejected separate measures to approve public funding for such
16895-412: The home team a distinct advantage similar to the effect on football games. The average attendance of 22,064 in 1995 was the lowest in three years with the removal of nine home games for the season, but when put in perspective, it was still higher compared to any of the Mariners' first 14 seasons. Despite its cavernous interior, the Kingdome's field dimensions were relatively small. It had a reputation as
17050-419: The intimate environment of a dedicated arena; furthermore, fans were displeased about the poor sight lines and cold temperatures in the Kingdome. All these factors, plus dwindling attendance due to poor team performance towards the end of their tenancy at the Kingdome, led SuperSonics general manager Zollie Volchok to sign a 10-year contract with the city of Seattle in 1983, agreeing to have the team move back to
17205-476: The issue of $ 40 million in bonds to fund construction of the "King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium" with 62 percent in favor; it was part of the Forward Thrust group of bond propositions that, among other items, had a regional rapid transit system rejected. That year, a committee considered over 100 sites throughout Seattle and King County for the stadium; they unanimously decided the best site would be on
17360-511: The largest TV contracts, and earns roughly $ 9 billion annually from its contracts with Amazon , CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and DirecTV for the 2023 through 2033 seasons. MLB earns $ 1.5 billion annually from its contracts for the 2014 through 2021 seasons with ESPN, Fox, and Turner Sports (TBS). The NBA's nine-year television deal beginning with the 2016–17 season with ABC/ESPN and TNT generates annual league TV revenues of $ 2.7 billion. The NBA's next TV deal, set to take effect in 2025–26 and run through
17515-422: The league's 81 games; prior to its deal with CBS Sports Network, the CFL had bundled its TSN rights with ESPN (a minority owner of TSN), who contributed a negligible $ 100,000 to the annual rights fees. The remainder of the CFL's games are carried online in the United States for free. Major professional sports leagues generally have significantly larger attendance than other sports leagues. The following table shows
17670-612: The league's officially listed inception in 1958, and no other Canadian market has ever had a CFL team of its own. A conditional expansion franchise was awarded to the Atlantic Schooners in 1982; it folded before ever playing a game. Another bid for a Schooners franchise by Schooners Sports and Entertainment in the late 2010s also failed. The first Major League Baseball team in Canada was the Montreal Expos , who began play in 1969. In 2005, they moved to Washington, D.C., and became
17825-557: The league, a 30% increase from the $ 500 million paid by the Vegas Golden Knights to join the league in 2017. The Golden Knights' fee was a dramatic increase from the $ 80 million paid by each of the previous two teams to enter the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. Two of the six most recently announced Major League Soccer expansion teams, 2019 entrant FC Cincinnati and 2020 arrival Nashville SC , each paid
17980-423: The league, and quality of play. The following table compares the Big Four leagues, plus the CFL and MLS, on certain attributes that collectively attempt to indicate whether the league has "major league" status. The table includes the longevity and stability of the league, as measured by the number of teams in the league, the year founded, the last time the league underwent contraction, expansion, and relocation, and
18135-493: The leagues. The highest value franchises in the respective leagues tend to be located in the largest markets (e.g., MLB's New York Yankees , NHL's New York Rangers ), whereas the lowest value franchises tend to be in smaller markets (e.g., NFL's Buffalo Bills , NBA's New Orleans Pelicans ). The NHL has the largest multiples between the highest-value and lowest-value teams, with the New York Rangers worth 5.5 times as much as
18290-422: The lines, the distance was also listed in fathoms (52.7 fm), presumably to maintain a nautical theme in line with the team name; however, this practice was ditched after the 1980 season . Like the Kingdome's contemporaries, the bullpens were located in foul territory adjacent to the baselines and the stands. The longest game in the Kingdome took place on July 30, 1998 , when the Cleveland Indians defeated
18445-644: The longest such period of stability of any Big Four league. In contrast to the Big Four leagues, MLS has operated on a policy of continuous expansion since 2005. After bottoming out at 10 teams in 2004, it has never gone more than one season without adding one or two expansion teams, with a further expansion team scheduled for 2025 and no indication that the league will cease awarding expansion teams. As of 2023 , MLS nearly tripled in size from its 2005 minimum, with 29 teams. The league has contracted three teams in its history: teams in Miami and Tampa Bay folded in 2002, and
18600-667: The merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) though it later adopted the BAA's founding date in 1946 as its own. Four teams from the rival American Basketball Association joined the NBA with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. It currently has 30 teams, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The NBA is watched by audiences both domestically and internationally, and as of 2022 it
18755-414: The most ravenous fan bases in the NFL, a reputation that has carried over to what is now Lumen Field. The Kingdome's reputation contributed to the NFL's 1989 vote in favor of enacting a rule penalizing home teams for excessive crowd noise; it was especially loathed by Seahawks fans during preseason games, with fan displeasure throughout the league leading commissioner Pete Rozelle to soften enforcement of
18910-531: The new stadium; the team was later named the Seattle Seahawks . Construction lasted another two years, and the stadium held an opening ceremony on March 27, 1976. It hosted its first professional sporting event two weeks later on April 9, an exhibition soccer game between the Seattle Sounders and New York Cosmos of the NASL . It set a record for the largest soccer audience in North America at 58,120. The stadium
19065-437: The northern and northeastern U.S., the NHL has expanded westward and southward in recent decades to attempt to gain a more national following in the United States, in cities such as Denver , San Jose , Dallas , Miami , Nashville , Salt Lake City , Raleigh , Tampa , Las Vegas , and Seattle with varying success. The NHL has more Canadian teams (seven) than MLB, the NBA, and MLS combined (five). Major League Soccer (MLS)
19220-479: The outfield was symmetrical with a uniform wall height: deep in center, and short elsewhere. For the All-Star Game in 1979, center field was 410 feet (120 m), power alleys were 357 feet (109 m), and the foul lines were 316 feet (96 m); the unpadded wall was green with a top yellow stripe, approximately twelve feet (3.7 m) in height and did not have the power alley distances listed on it. Down
19375-509: The popularity of the league, as measured by annual revenue and average attendance. The "Big Four" leagues each have revenues that can be many times greater than the payrolls of less popular sports leagues in the two nations. In terms of overall league revenue, the NFL, MLB, and NBA rank as the top three most lucrative sports leagues in the world, with the English Premier League and the NHL ranked at fourth and fifth place. Games of
19530-510: The previous season . At the time, the Kingdome was known in the NBA for being the noisiest arena for basketball and for having the largest crowds, with stadium vendor Bill Scott ( a.k.a. Bill the Beerman) taking the duties as cheerleader. In the 1979–80 season , the SuperSonics set an NBA record average attendance of 21,725 fans per game (since broken). The SuperSonics set the NBA single-game playoff attendance record at 39,457 during Game 4 of
19685-426: The rule before the start of the regular season. Raucous Seahawk fans at the Kingdome were also some of the earliest performers of The Wave . The city of Seattle made numerous bids to host the Super Bowl during the Seahawks' tenure at the Kingdome. However, despite five bids over 12 years, the Kingdome was never awarded the opportunity to host a Super Bowl; its closest chance was in 1989 for Super Bowl XXVI , which
19840-423: The same day as the agreement signing, longtime Kingdome critic Frank Ruano filed a referendum petition in an attempt to halt the move, but he announced on September 17 that he would withdraw support from the petition for lack of support. While the SuperSonics had played a few games at the Kingdome over the previous two seasons, their full-time tenancy required the addition of 5,000 portable stadium seats added onto
19995-432: The single most-watched program in U.S. television history. The NFL is the only one of the "Big Four" leagues not to have a team in Canada, where the Canadian Football League ( see § Canadian Football League ) is the premier professional league in a similar gridiron football sport of Canadian football . The National Hockey League is widely recognized as the world's premier professional ice hockey league, and
20150-419: The speakers, and at one point threw mud balls at them. In bidding for construction of the stadium, which had separate offers for the dome and the rest of the stadium, Donald M. Drake Construction Company of Portland, Oregon , was the winning contractor for both with respective bids of $ 28.9 million and $ 5.9 million. Peter Kiewit Sons Construction Company was the only other bidder, offering $ 30.57 million for
20305-476: The sports' widespread appeal since their inception, continuing today additionally with Fox. In Canada, the NHL has been broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation since 1952. In Canada, there is only one MLB team and one NBA team, and no Canadian NFL team exists; therefore, the U.S. national telecasts for those three leagues are usually simulcast by a Canadian broadcaster. The NFL has
20460-419: The stadium and $ 5.8 million for the roof; the latter came with the caveat of the company using its own design consultant. To help alleviate tension between the International District community and county officials, Drake emphasized the hiring of minorities, with minorities eventually representing 13 percent of the workers at the site; a community center and a shelter were also built in the neighborhood. However,
20615-521: The stadium plans in limbo, the team was forced to declare bankruptcy . Despite efforts by Seattle-area businessmen to buy the team as well as an attempt to keep the team in Seattle through the court system, the Pilots were sold to Milwaukee businessman Bud Selig , who relocated the team to Milwaukee and renamed it the Milwaukee Brewers a week before the start of the 1970 season . The push to build
20770-459: The stadium's construction encountered numerous issues; in January 1973, six support beams for the roof were toppled as one or two of them buckled, bringing down the others in a domino effect . By January 1974, the stadium reached 50 percent completion; only reaching 60 percent completion in July, it was clear that Drake would not reach the December deadline at that point. It was also apparent that Drake
20925-442: The team began to decline in performance; after winning the AFC West that year, it suffered a franchise-worst 2–14 record in 1992 . Season ticket sales, which had reached 62,000 that year with a waiting list of 30,000, gradually decreased to 46,000 in 1995 , with the team averaging 46,218 in attendance over five games at the Kingdome in 1994 ; as a result, the Seahawks began failing to sell out games, resulting in their blackout in
21080-702: The teams in Winnipeg and Quebec City were eventually moved to larger media markets in the U.S. The NHL returned to Winnipeg in 2011 with the Atlanta Thrashers relocating to become the current version of the Winnipeg Jets . Excluding the CFL, the NHL is the only major league to have teams in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg or Ottawa, all markets with populations of less than 1.25 million, smaller than any U.S. NHL market except Buffalo. However, those Canadian cities benefit from
21235-444: The time. Of the seven markets those teams occupied, three (Baltimore, San Antonio and Sacramento) had other major league franchises at the time, and two later received a major team (Memphis and Las Vegas). The league also played occasional games in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. The largest metropolitan area without a major professional sports franchise depends on the definition of "metropolitan area". Among areas defined by
21390-549: The title games were moved to the Tacoma Dome in nearby Tacoma in 1995. The Seattle and Tacoma Police Departments played a yearly game named the Bacon Bowl to raise money for charity from 1980 to 2005; the Kingdome hosted it from the beginning until 1982, then had a one-off in 1985 during a nine-year span in which the Tacoma Dome hosted the rest of the games. The Kingdome hosted the game again from 1992 to 1994 before it returned to
21545-524: The two markets east of Toronto; both Montreal and Ottawa have each seen two CFL teams fail since the 1980s, although both cities have active teams as of the 2014 season. The cities are now represented by the Alouettes and Redblacks , respectively. Among existing teams, none has ever formally relocated from one city to another; the Alouettes, however, inherited a management structure from the Baltimore Stallions ,
21700-432: The upper deck as far as 617 feet (188 m) from home plate. Part of the problem was that the Kingdome was not a multipurpose stadium in the truest sense. Instead, it was built as a football stadium that could convert into a baseball stadium. For instance, most fans in the outfield seats on the 300 level were unable to see parts of right and center field; these areas were not part of the football playing field. For most of
21855-429: The western United States than the other major leagues. Whereas the NBA's teams tend to be somewhat more evenly distributed across the United States, MLS's presence in areas of the southern United States has historically been sparse; after MLS folded its two Florida-based teams after the 2001 season, it did not re-enter the South until Orlando City SC joined the league in 2015, with Atlanta United FC following in 2017. With
22010-501: The world, North American sports leagues are closed leagues that maintain the same teams from season-to-season. Expansion of the league usually occurs by adding newly formed teams, though mergers with competing leagues have also occurred. Baseball , American football , and ice hockey have had professional leagues continuously for over 100 years; early leagues such as the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players ,
22165-537: The year 2000. Major League Soccer has 29 teams; it adopted a policy of continuous expansion at a rate of one to two new franchises a year since 2005,and was set to reach its long-range target of 30 teams in 2023 before the Sacramento expansion bid collapsed. A 30th team in San Diego is set to join in 2025. The CFL has nine franchises. All of the top four major leagues grant territorial exclusivity to their owners, precluding
22320-470: Was a 91-yard touchdown and the other was a historic plowing into Seahawks high-profile rookie linebacker Brian "The Boz" Bosworth . The Seahawks regularly sold out games at the Kingdome from its inception and throughout the 1980s; 117 consecutive regular-season home games were sold out between 1979 and 1993 . However, after Ken Behring took over ownership of the team from the Nordstrom family in 1988 ,
22475-579: Was awarded to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis , Minnesota . In its 1982 bid for Super Bowl XIX , the Seattle City Council voted to give tax exemptions to the NFL if the league selected the Kingdome to host the game. The Seahawks played their final game at the Kingdome on January 9, 2000 , suffering a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Dolphins in their first playoff appearance since
22630-559: Was considered a must because the roof was likely to inhibit the growth of natural grass, like the Astrodome 's roof. The AstroTurf surface was first replaced in July 1983 during the MLB All-Star break; Monsanto , the then-owner of AstroTurf, won the turf replacement contract over SuperTurf (then used by the Metrodome) with a bid of $ 1.2 million. By request of the Mariners and Seahawks, it
22785-443: Was decorated in 1992 with a ring of 50,000 reflective tiles that comprise "Circle of Light", a public art installation designed by Richard C. Elliott; the ring's 24 sections include designs inspired by traditional Yakama baskets. A minor renovation in 2002 added additional seats and upgraded the existing locker rooms and meeting rooms for the facility. The roof was resurfaced in 2020. The SunDome hosts several annual events, including
22940-430: Was finished at $ 20 million over budget, with part of the cost overrun covered by a $ 12.8 million out-of-court settlement in 1980 between the county and Drake's liability insurers. Like virtually all other multi-purpose stadiums, the Kingdome featured AstroTurf artificial turf for its playing surface, with its baseball configuration featuring dirt sliding pits around each base. When it was constructed, artificial turf
23095-458: Was ill-prepared to work on a project with such scale, with numerous errors, delays, and short-staffing slowing down construction. Efforts to renegotiate the contract failed, and on November 22, Drake stopped work on the Kingdome. The county fired Drake on December 10, bringing in Kiewit to finish construction on the stadium. On December 5, 1974, the NFL awarded Seattle an expansion franchise to occupy
23250-417: Was moved to a relaunched Montreal Alouettes franchise. By 2009 the CFL was the second-most-popular league in Canada, after the NHL. A 2023 study shows that interest in the CFL had dropped over the previous 10 years. The CFL has the fourth-highest average attendance of leagues in the United States and Canada, behind the NFL, MLB and MLS. As of 2024 , the CFL's average attendance number was 22,795, continuing
23405-464: Was replaced again in October and December 1990 at a cost of $ 2.56 million; the previous surface was sold off thereafter, with 25 rolls of it sold to the Tacoma Dome for $ 108,200. A strip 40 feet by 4 inches was ripped off left field near second base during a field invasion by celebrating fans after the Mariners won the AL West tiebreaker game in 1995; it was replaced before the first Mariners home game in
23560-549: Was struck under the terms of which television and radio broadcast rights to Nationals games are handled by the Orioles franchise. As of 2022 , 49 metropolitan areas (42 in the U.S., seven in Canada) have at least one team in the Big Four leagues. Austin FC , which started play in 2021, is the first and only MLS team in a market not also occupied by at least one Big Four team. The CFL has one team,
23715-463: Was that neither team saw their shared tenancy as profitable; both teams also questioned the integrity of the stadium's roof as highlighted by the collapse of ceiling tiles onto the seating area before a scheduled Mariners game in 1994. As a result, public funding packages for new, purpose-built stadiums for the Mariners and Seahawks were respectively approved in 1995 and 1997. The Mariners moved to Safeco Field, now known as T-Mobile Park , midway through
23870-476: Was the first professional team sport in the U.S. MLB consistently draws the largest total attendance of any sports league in the world. Josh Martin of Bleacher Report described the National Basketball Association as "the best basketball league in the world" in a 2012 power ranking of international leagues, and it is the youngest of the major American leagues. It was founded in 1949 with
24025-520: Was the most popular league out of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB worldwide in desktop web traffic. While the NBA is the most viewed basketball league in Canada, Canada Basketball recognizes the Canadian Elite Basketball League as the country's first-division professional league. The National Football League is a professional American football league and was founded in 1920 as a combination of various teams from regional leagues such as
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