Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex

Disneyparkinfo

"Entrance to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex"
fgcolor=
name=Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
location=Walt Disney World Resort
opening=March 1997 [ [http://wiki.wdwhistory.com/wiki/Wide_World_of_Sports.ashx WDWHistory.com - Disney's Wide World of Sports] ]
resort=Walt Disney World Resort
theme=Sports Complex
website= [http://disneyworldsports.disney.go.com/dwws/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage Disney's Wide World of Sports Homepage]
operator=The Walt Disney Company

Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex is a 220 acre (89 ha) athletic complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort. The complex includes 9 venues and hosts numerous amateur and professional sporting events throughout the year.

History

Disney built the US$100 million facility on former wetlands [cite news | url=http://www.dailypress.com/topic/go2-1521,0,3948558.story | author=Dame, Mike | title="Sports Complex overview" | publisher=Go2Orlando | date=2002-09-18 | accessdate=2008-09-05] that it owned near Interstate 4. The venue opened on March 1997 with an exhibition baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds.

Venues

Champion Stadium

A 9,500 seat baseball stadium built in 1997. One of the original components of Wide World of Sports, it was formerly known as "Cracker Jack Stadium" and "The Ballpark at ESPN Wide World of Sports". It is the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves and the recurring home for the Gulf Coast Braves. The stadium has hosted two regular season Major League Baseball series in 2007 and 2008 featuring the Tampa Bay Rays as the home team.

Milk House

A 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena sponsored by the National Dairy Association.

Jostens Center

First announced in March 2007, the complex's 10th anniversary year, the Jostens Center is a 75,000-square-foot arena (2½ times larger than the Milk House) that opened in the fall of 2008.citenews|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-espn-disney-wide-world-sports-092408,0,5191395.story|title=Disney's name coming off its Wide World of Sports complex|author=Scott Powers|publisher=Orlando Sentinel|date=2008-09-24|accessdate=2008-09-24] Sponsored by the class-ring manufacturer, the center will feature six college-size basketball courts, twelve volleyball courts and two roller hockey rinks. Its seating capacity is yet to be determined. The Milk House will remain in operation after the Jostens Center's completion. [http://cbs4.com/entertainment/local_story_087111755.html]

Hess Sports Fields

Presented by Hess Corporation, these eight multi-purpose fields can host a number of different sports. Two fields are equipped for night play, and four are made to international soccer dimensions. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have conducted training camp at the facility since 2002.

Baseball Quadraplex

Consisting of four professional baseball fields and one practice infield, the quadrapelex also includes batting tunnels, pitching mounds, hitting tunnels, masters pitching machines, and ten bullpens. Two fields are equipped for night play.

Diamondplex

The first venue to be completed at the facility, it consists of six fields used for softball and youth baseball. Organized with four fields in circle and two adjacent.

Centre Court Stadium

A 1,000 to 8,500 seat, ten court tennis complex.

Cross Country Course

Consists of multi-purpose fields, the Track and Field Complex, and a 0.7 mile wooded trail.

Track and Field Complex

A 500 seat, competition facility for track and field events, designed to International Amateur Athletic Federation specifications.
*nine lane track
*three shot put rings
*two discus/hammer rings
*a javelin runway
*two high jump areas
*two horizontal jump runways
*two pole vault runways

Expansion

Disney announced plans to construct a 160,000 square foot 100-lane bowling stadium, which would be the largest in the country. It will offer stadium-style seating, a restaurant and would be completed in early 2010. The stadium would be used for events or open to guests. It would also be used as a venue to host the United States Bowling Congress tournaments, which would boost the economy by bringing guests and vistors to local hotels and restaurants. [cite web | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/orl-bowling1008jun10,0,3110047.story | author=Pino, Mark | title="Disney plans 100-lane bowling stadium for Wide World of Sports" | publisher=Chicago Tribune | date=2008-06-10 | accessdate=2008-06-10]

Facility renaming

On May 13, 2008 The Walt Disney Company announced plans to rebrand Disney's Wide World of Sports using the ESPN brand. [ [http://www.insidedisneysports.com/DWWS_ESPN_Rebranding.cfm Disney Sports Complex to Become ESPN-Branded Immersive Sports Venue] ] The new name for the facility, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, was announced on September 24, 2008, but no date has been set for the transition to the new name.

Controversy

A former baseball umpire and an architect alleged that they approached the Walt Disney Company in 1987 with plans for a sports complex, and that Wide World of Sports, which opened 10 years later, was heavily based on their designs. Disney claimed that, while the designs had some similarities, the complex was also similar to numerous other sporting facilities, and the concept of a sports park was too generic for any one group to claim ownership. The two men, represented in part by noted attorney Johnnie Cochran, sued Disney in Orange County civil court. In August 2000, a jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs with damages in the amount of $240 million, a fraction of the $1.5 billion sought. [citeweb|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/08/11/disney.lawsuit.01/index.html|title=Disney must pay $240 million in sports park lawsuit|publisher="www.cnn.com"|date=2000-08-11|accessdate=2008-09-03] Disney appealed the judgement, and settled out of court in September 2002 for undisclosed terms. [citeweb|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2002/sep/26/business/fi-rup26.8|title=Disney Settles Suit Over Sports Complex|publisher=LA Times|date=2002-09-26|accessdate=2008-09-03]

External links

* [http://disneyworldsports.disney.go.com/dwws/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage Official website]

References