Stadium Review: Rogers Centre Home of the Toronto Blue Jays

By Bill Jordan
Updated: March 19, 2009

The Rogers Centre, formerly known and still frequently called the Sky Dome, is a staple of downtown Toronto. Even if one doesn’t make a trip to the stadium itself, it is very hard to miss the structure, especially since most visitors of downtown Toronto usually stop at the CN Tower, which looks straight down on the stadium. When it is a nice day outside, and the roof at the Rogers Centre is open, one can look down from the famous tower and see some of the action. Usually, this just accentuates how few people are actually in the stands during a Blue Jays game, but it does provide a view of a stadium that probably cannot be seen anywhere else around baseball, unless one happens to be the guy riding in the blimp that day.

Being in the heart of downtown really provides fans an opportunity to make a whole day of going to the baseball stadium without having to spend the entire day at the ballpark. There are many vendors outside of the stadium so that fans don’t have to spend the outrageous amounts of money on stadium food that are a constant at the major league level. Many of these vendors even have vegetarian options, such as meatless hot dogs, making it easier for all fans to fill their stomach while enjoying a game.

On the outside of the stadium, there are various statues that depict people enjoying a game. The way they are depicted seems to illustrate that there is a ball headed towards them as they have their arms up and their faces are filled with excitement. This provides a nice touch to a stadium that was built to be in doors and definitely adds to the overall quality of the stadium.

While walking around the outside of the stadium, fans will also find various plaques on the ground, as well as on the walls, that commemorate the Blue Jays history and their World Series victories that are almost two decades ago.

After entering the stadium, fans will find themselves in a mall like atmosphere with a large, covered, concourse that has enough space that one can truly not feel congested at all. Simply walking into the stadium, one can tell that they are not entering the typical ballpark. The structure is used for so much more than baseball and that is evident from some of the amenities that one will find inside the stadium. In addition to the team shop, which will be discussed later, the stadium also has shops that sell things such as electronics and DVDs that really have nothing to do with baseball or the Blue Jays. In addition to those shops, the stadium also has a hotel inside of it where fans get a room that has a window which looks into the baseball stadium so that they don’t even have to leave their bedroom to enjoy the game.

The team shop is extremely expansive and offers fans a wide array of merchandise for all genders and ages. They do a better job that many other major league teams of having female merchandise that will actually draw females to purchasing it.

When the roof is closed, the stadium is so cavernous that almost all sounds echo. While in an outdoor stadium, the loud guy in section 509 can only annoy the people in close proximity to him, but in the Rogers Centre, he has the ability to annoy all fans in attendance.

The artificial grass looks much different in person than it does on television and actually looks to be a bit on the dirty side. When in attendance, fans can truly tell the difference in the patches of grass and which ones are probably on the newer side.

Recently, those at the Rogers Centre removed 100 seats from the top section to make it easier to see the field from the top deck. The 500 level at the Rogers Centre may have one of the best views of any top level in the majors simply because of how it is placed and how the seating is arranged.