The Atlanta Braves might have choked away a playoff berth the final days of the season, but at least they have a world championship ballpark.
In a new international study of 75 stadiums in 23 countries, all of which have been built or had major improvements since 1996, to host huge events such as the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships, Turner Field in Atlanta is the most successful.
The ongoing research by PlayTheGame.org shows Centennial Olympic Stadium, as it was known for the 1996 Olympic Games, is still used 52.3 percent of the time -- 15 years after the Summer Games ended. The Sapporo Dome in Japan, with a $551.9 million price tag, is second on the list with an average of 128 events per year. While Turner Field attracted more than 50 times its 48,000 capacity in 2010, some other world venues couldn't even fill up three times over for the course of the year.
According to researchers, the first 65 stadiums in 20 countries for which data has been compiled saw construction costs of $13.1 billion dollars, with an average venue costing $201.5 million.
Cape Town Stadium, at $600 million, is the most expensive, while upgrades at a stadium in Ghana were the least expensive, at $25.9 million. Turner Field was built for $209 million -- a relative bargain considering the yearly inflow of fans.
Finals results from the study are expected to be made available in November.
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