A Brief History
On April 9, 1965, the Houston Astrodome hosted an exhibition baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros, the 1st indoor MLB baseball game!
Digging Deeper
In Houston, Texas, the Harris County Domed Stadium, the original name for the Astrodome, was completed for the 1965 National League Baseball season.
The Houston major league team had been known as The Houston Colt .45’s, but the name was changed to reflect their new stadium, the first such indoor facility for baseball and football in the world. The ballgame was attended by President Lyndon Johnson and Governor John Connally as well as Houston’s mayor.
As the crowd watched in climate controlled comfort, the Astros beat the Yankees 2-1, with all time great Yankee Mickey Mantle getting the first hit and the first home run in the new stadium.
Unlike the synthetic turf we expect at any domed stadium today, the Astrodome was originally planned for a grass surface, but it was not to be. No matter how hard groundskeepers tried, they could not keep the grass growing and healthy. History and Headlines fact: The natural grass gave off moisture which resulted in rain indoors in the Astrodome!Another fact: That first season, the Astros played mostly on dirt that was painted green!
In 1966 the Astrodome was fitted with an artificial grass surface which became known as “Astroturf” and that name has become synonymous with artificial grass. Areas around the bases were left as bare dirt for players to slide into the base. Groundskeepers dressed as astronauts would vacuum the field during breaks!
The Astrodome was used as the home field for the Houston Oilers NFL football team and for many other events held in outdoor stadiums. In 1965, Judy Garland became the first singer to perform at the Astrodome, with the Supremes as her opening act!
Undergoing renovations over the years, the original domed stadium has held an audience of 42,000 to 54,000 fans for baseball, and 50,000 to 62,000 fans for football. The Astrodome even hosted the 1992 Republican National Convention, with the Astros obligingly taking a month long road trip to accommodate the convention.
Sadly, the Astrodome held its last NFL football game in 1996 and its last Major League baseball game in 1999. Although continued to be used for other entertainment purposes (such as motocross and rodeo), the stadium was closed completely in 2006. Attempts have been made to secure funding for renovations that would allow the Astrodome to host conventions and other events, but that has not yet come to pass.
Question for students (and subscribers): Now that most new professional stadiums are built as indoor domed stadiums, the question we have is: Do you approve of domed stadiums or should baseball and football be played outdoors only? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evdience
For more information, please see…
Doherty, Craig A. and Katherine M. Doherty. The Houston Astrodome (Building America). Blackbirch Pr Inc, 1996.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1709 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1709">12 Comments
I agree with domed stadium because games won’t be cancelled due to weather anymore. I believe that all stadiums should be able to open up though so that it doesn’t have to be domed the whole time because every since back in the day stadiums were always outside. I think being player of one of these sports could effect a players performance because it is an outdoor game.
I do approve of domed stadiums. Some teams have domes while others do not, which makes the player have to skilled in both controlled and uncontrolled elements. Growing up and playing athletics I have played in some domed arenas but having a dome eliminates all the fun of being outside and playing the game you love.
I approve of domed stadiums. I did not know that this is why we call it Astroturf, and I think it’s really cool that it rained inside.
I’m surprised that there were not any indoor games played until 1965. I think it adds a strange element to the game where if the ball hits the roof it can drastically impact the game.
I’m surprised these games didn’t happen years prior.
Im shocked these games didn’t happen before 1965.
I approve of domed stadiums but I would rather have them played outside
This is awesome! I love baseball. I think it is more fun outside, but now I want to play in an indoor one.
I am a huge baseball fan, but I never really got on board with the indoor professional baseball. The whole atmosphere for me is an outdoor sport. The fact that it was able to potentially rain inside is interesting though.
I think that this is cool, because of the fact that it can rain inside is cool. But I do agree that baseball is an outdoor sport
I believe both football and baseball should b played outdoors. Playing on the RCA Dome and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, it did not feel the same. The turf was extra bouncy and it wasn’t right playing without the sun or wind and the elements that come with the game.
I like the whole aspect of being able to play both football and baseball indoors. However, it is always better to play on natural grass. Although the astrodome originally had grass, it was a shame that it couldn’t be kept alive due to the domes design. What is even more crazy is that the astrodome is still standing, even though it is not in use. It acts as a ghost building that represents innovation of the past.