Schedule   Schedule Schedule Book a Bus Ask about our special packages for your group!! sales@sportstravelconnection   Where They Play Pro Player Stadium The stadium underwent a $10 million renovation before the 1993 season so that the football stadium would be able to host baseball games. The lower deck in left field was converted to retractable stands, dugouts were built, and small temporary stands were added in front of the bullpen areas. The upper deck seats beyond the outfield are generally too far from the field to be in regular use, and are generally covered with canvas during the regular season. The seats have been used for playoff baseball games, however. Some sections in right field have occasionally been covered over and used as a picnic area for baseball games as well. Because of the need to fit a football field in the stadium, the field of play is larger than in most other new baseball stadiums. The 33-foot tall left field fence, nicknamed the Teal Monster - a play on the Green Monster at Fenway Park - further limits the ability of players to hit home-run. Foul territory is also fairly large in comparison with most new stadiums. Since winning the World Series in 1997, the Marlins management has regularly argued that Pro Player Stadium is an insufficient stadium to host a major league baseball team on a regular basis, arguing that too many of the seats are too far from the field and angled for football rather than baseball, and that a retractable dome is needed to prevent rain-outs. The stadium did not prevent the team from winning another world championship in 2003, however. After more than a decade of existence, Dolphins Stadium is still one of the best NFL stadiums in the league. In the late 1970's and early 1980's after playing at the Orange Bowl for many years, Dolphins owner Joe Robbie began lobbying for a new stadium for his team. After voters continually rejected tax increases for a stadium to be built, Joe Robbie decided to have the stadium built himself. After finding a site to build the stadium, construction began in December 1985. The facility was paid for by the selling of luxury suites, club seats, private funds, and long term agreements with season ticket holders. Dolphins Stadium was completed in just over two years. Soon after its completion, the stadium was renamed Joe Robbie Stadium. The Miami Dolphins played their first game at Joe Robbie Stadium on August 16, 1987. Joe Robbie Stadium was a major upgrade from the Orange Bowl. The state of the art facility has 75,000 orange and teal seats that enclose the field. With its many circular ramps and escalators accessibility to any seats is easy. Two video boards are located above the rim of the upper deck of each end zone. In 1990, in an effort to bring MLB baseball to Florida, Wayne Huizenga purchased 50% of Joe Robbie Stadium, the site that baseball could be played. In 1991, MLB awarded the area a team, the Florida Marlins, to begin playing in 1993. Joe Robbie Stadium now would become a multipurpose facility. When the stadium was built for the Dolphins, Joe Robbie insisted on a rectangular grandstand layout that was wider than needed for football, believing that baseball would possibly come to Miami. The seats in the lower level on the north side of the stadium had to become retractable so the field could be configured for baseball. The first Florida Marlins game played at the stadium was on April 5, 1993. In 1996, Joe Robbie Stadium was renamed Pro Player Stadium, after the company bought the naming rights to the stadium. In January 2005, owner of the Dolphins, Wayne Huizenga announced that Pro Player Stadium would be renamed Dolphins Stadium. Furthermore it was announced that the stadium would be renovated and enlarged. To be completed in three phases over several years the project is expected to cost $300 million. The project includes remodeling of the Club Level and luxury suites, new scoreboards, additional parking, and eventually a dome or retractable roof. Dolphins Stadium has been the host to three Super Bowls and the 1997 and 2003 World Series. Office Depot Center The Office Depot Center (also known as the Broward County Civic Arena and the National Car Rental Arena) is an indoor arena located in Sunrise, Florida, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The arena is home to the Florida Panthers of the NHL. The arena was completed in 1998 at a cost of $212 million, almost entirely publicly financed. The building seats 19,452 for ice hockey. It has 70 suites and 2,300 club seats American Airlines Arena The American Airlines Arena is an arena located in downtown Miami, Florida along Biscayne Bay and is used for basketball games and concerts. It was constructed as a replacement for the Miami Arena. The American Airlines Arena is home to the Miami Heat of the NBA. The WNBA team Miami Sol played at the stadium from the team's birth in 2000 to the team's death in 2002. In November 1998, construction of the new arena was delayed following a fire in the upper section of the facility. On December 31, 1999, the American Airlines Arena opened. The first event was a Gloria Estefan. The Miami Sol, a WNBA women's basketball team, began play at the American Airlines Arena in 2000, but the team was folded by the WNBA following the 2002 season. The American Airlines Arena is not to be confused with American Airlines Center, which is located in Dallas, Texas.