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| - Like the old Flavian Amphitheater or better known as the Colosseum in Rome, the Rogers Centre is capable of seating 50,000+ spectators, and while the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on classical mythology our current concrete jungle plays host to our modern day gladiators who bring their ply of lumber to bat and leather gloves, and the tanks of human beings who toss around the skins of pig to try and reach from one end to another. It is also the temporary one night home to many of the shrieking celebrity act du jours and most recently to the blood hunting gladiators of the ultimate fighting championships.
Whether you love or hate these spectacles, these arenas plays host to the backdrop of every key moment that is the soul that unites a city. And in a city like Toronto, these are very rare occasions as we must reach back to 1993 when the last time some joyous words mouthed by the now deceased voice of our baseball team Tom Cheek, "Touch them all Joe, you will never hit a bigger home run in your life" to enshrine them into city folk lore, where legends and heroes are created and or as likely reach an immortal state of infamy. The building provide the backdrops that are forever frozen in time and cherished by the clans who were either there or watched it on television, or captured by photos.
As a foodie, I understand you may or most likely not care about such events, but these proceedings account for a large part of our cities psyche and how we view ourselves. These arenas are an important part of the fabric and maybe even more important to our cultural communities than the like of the museums, the galleries, the opera house or the general architecture as it is more accessible to the general populace, and much less snoot.
I have traveled across the world visiting such places and admiring them and trying to identify its historic place in the sporting culture. I've been to old tiger stadium before it was demolished, old Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wriggly field, Candle Stick park, Montreal Forum new and old, buffalo arena, the Scotiabank arena in Ottawa, the American Airlines arena in Miami, Giants stadium new and old, and even Stade de France and Wembly over seas.
And although it's hard to pinpoint what is exactly wrong with the Rogers Centre, it is quite simply a bit soulless in its perfect nature. From the perfectly architectured circle with great sight lines from every seat, to the perfectly controlled atmosphere topped by the moving roof that is able play mother nature with the temperance in weather. It's all too much like a stepford wife, and over time you get creeped out by the zombie likeness of this park. From the too good to be true fake grass, to quiet drone of the HVAC system. It's all just a little to fake and a little too imperfectly perfect.
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