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Tropicana Field

Tropicana Field is a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida which has been the home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays since 1998.

The ballpark originally began construction in 1986 in the hope that it would lure in a Major League Baseball team. The stadium, built originally as the Florida Suncoast Dome, was first used in an attempt to move the Chicago White Sox if a new ballpark was not built to replace the aging Comiskey Park. The governments of Chicago and Illinois eventually agreed to build a "new" Comiskey Park in 1989, and the White Sox owners ceased discussing the idea of moving the team to Tampa Bay.

The stadium was finished in 1990, but still had no tenants. There were rumors of the Seattle Mariners moving in the early part of the 1990's, and the San Francisco Giants were reportedly very close to moving to the area, with Tampa Bay investors even announcing they were in a press conference in 1992. However, the sale was blocked by the then-owner of the Florida Marlins, H. Wayne Huizenga, and the move never happened. A local boycott of Blockbuster Video stores occurred for several years thereafter.

The Suncoast Dome did manage to gain a tenant in 1993 when the Tampa Bay Lightning made the stadium its home for 3 seasons. In the process, the Suncoast Dome was renamed the Thunderdome. Because of the large capacity of what was basically a park built for baseball, several NHL attendance records were set during their time there. The Arena Football Tampa Bay Storm also played there during the "Thunderdome" era, and set attendance records for that league as well.

Finally, in 1995, the dome got a baseball team when Major League Baseball expanded to the Tampa Bay area. Changes were made to the stadium and the name, which was changed due to the sale of naming rights, became Tropicana Field in 1996. A $70 million renovation then took place - to upgrade a stadium that had cost $115 million to complete only eight years earlier. The first regular season baseball game took place at the park on March 31, 1998, when the Devil Rays faced the Detroit Tigers, losing 11-6.

The park was initially built with an AstroTurf surface, but it was replaced in 2000 by softer FieldTurf, becoming the first major professional facility to use it.

The facility has also been used for rounds of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament; it hosted the Final Four in 1998.

Raymond James Stadium

On September 20, 1998, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Chicago Bears, 27-15, at the inaugural football game at Raymond James Stadium. Raymond James Stadium is also home to the University of South Florida football team. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers constructed a $3 million pirate ship called Buccaneer Cove. Located at the north end of the stadium, Buccaneer Cove covers 20,000 square feet. The Cove features a weathered, 2-story fishing village facade from which stadium concessions can be purchased. The centerpiece of Buccaneer Cove is its 103-foot-long ship, an authentic replica of an early 1800's pirate ship. The most ominous feature of the Buccaneer's ship is its 9'x7' skull and crossed swords. The skull features huge, red glowing eyes and a smoke-breathing mouth. Cannons celebrate Buccaneer touchdowns by releasing cannon fire, smoke, confetti, mini-footballs and a variety of Tampa Bay Buccaneers merchandise into the stands.

St. Pete Times Forum (formerly known as Ice Palace)

The St. Pete Times Forum is a sports arena in Tampa, Florida. It opened in 1996 as the Ice Palace and was built for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League, and is also the home of the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. Both of these teams relocated to the Ice Palace from the former Florida Suncoast Dome, a domed stadium in St. Petersburg now known as Tropicana Field.

Naming rights to the Ice Palace were sold to the St. Petersburg Times, a daily newspaper which circulates throughout the Tampa Bay area. Other entertainment events occasionally held in the Forum include concerts and figure skating.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a National Hockey League team based in Tampa, Florida.

Founded: 1992-1993 (awarded December 20, 1991)

Uniform colors: Black, White, Blue, and Silver

Logo design: A circle pierced by a lightning bolt with the inscription "Tampa Bay LIGHTNING"