{{Infobox venue , stadium_name = The Stadium at the ESPN Wide World of Sports , image = ESPN Wide World of Sports baseball stadium.jpg , location =

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake, Florida, Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando ...

700 S. Victory Way

Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

34747 , broke_ground = {{dts, 1995, 7 , owner =

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...

, operator =

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort, in Bay Lake, Florida, United States, near Orlando. The complex includes nine venues and hosts numerous professional and amateur s ...

, opened = {{dts, 1997, 3, 28 , construction_cost = , architect = David M. Schwarz , former_names = {{ubl, Champion Stadium (2008–2017), The Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports (1997, 2007), Cracker Jack Stadium (1997–2006) , surface = Grass , tenants = {{ubl,

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

(

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

; 1997–2019),

Gulf Coast Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

( GCL; 1997–2019),

Orlando Rays Several different minor league baseball teams have called the city of Orlando, Florida home from 1919–2003. Most have played in the Florida State League. The original Orlando franchise played between 1919 and 1924 and was alternately called the ...

( SL; 2000–2003),

USSSA Pride The USSSA Pride are a professional softball team based in Viera, Florida and a member of the WPF - Women's Professional Fastpitch League, U.S. Founded in 2009. They previously played in National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) from 2009 to 2019. They play th ...

( NPF; 2011–2016){{ubl,

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

(

; 2023) , seating_capacity = 7,500 , dimensions = Left field – {{cvt, 335, ft
Left Center – {{cvt, 385, ft
Center Field – {{cvt, 400, ft
Right Center – {{cvt, 385, ft
Right field – {{cvt, 335, ft The Stadium at the ESPN Wide World of Sports is a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

stadium located at the

in the

. The stadium was built in 1997. It was most recently the home of the Rookie-league GCL

Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

, until they moved to

CoolToday Park CoolToday Park is a ballpark in North Port, Florida, located in the southern portion of Sarasota County, south of Sarasota, Florida. It is the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. The ballpark opened on March 24 ...

in North Port. The 7,500-seat stadium was designed by David M. Schwarz in a style the designer dubbed ''Florida Picturesque'' incorporating Venetian Gothic Revival, Mediterranean and Spanish influences with yellow-painted stucco, green-tile roofs, towers and arches.

Name

The Stadium at the ESPN Wide World of Sports was originally known as The Ballpark then Cracker Jack Stadium. When it was first built,

Frito-Lay Frito-Lay is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavor ...

purchased the naming rights to the venue for ten years and put its

Cracker Jack Cracker Jack is an American brand of snack food that consists of molasses-flavored, caramel-coated popcorn, and peanuts, well known for being packaged with a prize of trivial value inside. The Cracker Jack name and slogan, "The More You Eat The ...

brand on the stadium. Frito-Lay chose not to renew its naming rights deal. During most of 2007, it was referred to as The Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports. On November 1 of that year,{{citation needed, date=July 2018 HanesBrands Inc. purchased the naming rights for ten years and renamed it

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

Stadium.

History

Originally, Disney planned for no MLB permanent spring training tenant for the stadium, instead using as a

Grapefruit League Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives establi ...

neutral site with rotating teams. However, the Braves organization became interested and moved in.{{cite news , last1=Hixson , first1=Derrick , title=Atlanta Braves Spring Training Fan Guide , url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/129227-atlanta-braves-spring-training-fan-guide , access-date=July 10, 2018 , work=Bleacher Report , date=February 24, 2009 Braves spring training2008

The Ballpark opened with the rest of

Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort, in Bay Lake, Florida, United States, near Orlando. The complex includes nine venues and hosts numerous professional and amateur s ...

on March 28, 1997, with an exhibition baseball game between the

and the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. The

Gulf Coast League Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

began play at the stadium in 1997, while the Atlanta Braves started its 20-year spring training lease in 1998.{{cite news , last1=Carroll , first1=Frank , title=Braves To Toss 1st Pitch At Disney , url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1997-01-17/news/9701161221_1_braves-spring-spring-training-fans , access-date=July 9, 2018 , work=Orlando Sentinel , date=January 17, 1997 , language=en 160508-D-DB155-013 (26328281343) (cropped)

160508-D-DB155-013 (26328281343) (cropped)

In 2000, after years of poor attendance at

Tinker Field Tinker Field was an outdoor baseball stadium in Orlando, Florida, United States. Named after Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Tinker, it was located in the West Lakes neighborhoods of Downtown Orlando, adjacent to the Camping World Stadium and one mile ...

, the

moved to the Ballpark. However, the Rays, continued to draw barely 1,000 fans a game in their new stadium. Things improved somewhat over the next three seasons; the Rays drew 150,051 fans in 2003, more than twice what they had seen just a few years earlier at Tinker Field, but still last in the league. Following the 2003 season, the Rays moved (breaking a 10-year lease at Disney after just four years) and became the

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

. The venue hosted the 2001

Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament The Atlantic 10 Conference basetball tournament, sometimes referred to simply as the A-10 tournament, is the conference baseball championship of the NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. The top seven finishers in the regular season of the conf ...

, won by

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

.{{cite web, title=Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Record Book , url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/atl10/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/Baseball_Records_thru2011.pdf , publisher=CSTV , access-date=16 February 2012 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619004417/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/atl10/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/Baseball_Records_thru2011.pdf , archive-date=2013-06-19 , page=14 , url-status=dead The old style manual score board was replaced in 2003 with a larger electronic scoreboard and message center. Champion Stadium was used during first-round games for the

2006 World Baseball Classic The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums that are in and around Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto ...

. It hosted Pool D, and featured teams with professional players from

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The stadium hosted its first regular season

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

games from May 15 through 17,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

season when the Texas Rangers played the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...

in a three-game series. The three games drew a total of 26,917 fans, and attendance went up each game. In April

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, the Rays moved another series, this time against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, to Orlando.{{cite news, url=http://www.sptimes.com/2007/11/07/Rays/MLB__likely_foe_open_.shtml, title=MLB, likely foe open to return to Orlando, last=Topkin, first=Marc, date=2007-11-07, work=St. Petersburg Times, access-date=2009-05-22 In January 2017, the Braves announced a formal agreement to move their spring training home to

North Port, Florida North Port is a city located in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 74,793 at the 2020 US Census. It is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was originally developed by G ...

,{{cite news , first=Zack, last=Murdock, url=http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20170117/atlanta-braves-pick-sarasota-county-for-spring-training , title=Atlanta Braves pick Sarasota County for spring training , newspaper=

Sarasota Herald-Tribune The ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper, located in Sarasota, Florida, founded in 1925 as the ''Sarasota Herald''. History The newspaper was owned by The New York Times Company from 1982 to 2012. It was then owned by Halifax Media ...

, date=January 17, 2017 , access-date=February 27, 2017 which opened in 2019.

References

{{reflist

External links

Champion Stadium
Official Website

{{s-start {{succession box , title=

Invictus Games The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event first held in 2014, for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. The word 'Invictus' means 'unconquered', chosen as an embodiment of the fighting spi ...

Opening Ceremonies Venue , before=

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, after=

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena ( French: ''Aréna Scotiabank)'', formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in the South Core district of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Rap ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, years=

2016 Invictus Games The 2016 Invictus Games was the second edition of the Invictus Games. On 14 July 2015, Prince Harry, Patron of Invictus Games Foundation, announced the 2016 Invictus Games would take place from 8–12 May 2016 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Com ...

{{s-end {{coord, 28, 20, 13.5, N, 81, 33, 21.6, W, type:landmark_scale:2000, display=title {{Atlanta Braves {{Walt Disney Parks and Resorts {{Stadiums of the Grapefruit League {{GCL Ballparks {{2006 World Baseball Classic Stadiums {{DEFAULTSORT:Stadium at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, The Minor league baseball venues Grapefruit League venues Sports venues in Orlando, Florida World Baseball Classic venues Spring training ballparks Walt Disney World Tampa Bay Rays stadiums Baseball venues in Florida Atlanta Braves spring training venues Frito-Lay Sports venues completed in 1997 1997 establishments in Florida Florida Complex League ballparks Olympic stadiums

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...