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A brief look at two of the most notable stadiums in America.

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Football and baseball: two of America’s favorite sports. Pitts-burgh is lucky enough to have a professional team of each: the Steelers and the Pirates. Both teams have legendary accomplish-ments and traditions, and both call Pittsburgh their homes. Heinz Field plays host to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a total of 65,050 seats, this 1.49 million sq. ft. structure opened on August 25, 2001 after two years of construction, according to the Steel-ers’ official website. Before Heinz Field, the Steelers played at the multi-purpose Three Rivers Stadium from 1970-2000. Steelers fans hold this stadium near and dear to their hearts due to the length of time the team spent playing there and the accom-plishments the teams that played there made. Built where the Al-legheny and Ohio Rivers meet, the Three Rivers held 59,000 people for Steelers games until its demolishing in February of 2001. Three Rivers was multi-purpose, which meant more than one sport could be played there. During the Steelers’ time at Three Riv-ers, they shared their home with the Pirates. This was not the first stadium the teams shared, however. Before Three Rivers, the teams played at Forbes Field. Forbes Field was built for the Pirates in 1909. During the Steelers’ first year of inception, 1933, the Pirates began sharing the field. The Pirates and Steelers played together at Forbes Field until 1963, when the teams moved to Pitt Stadium, already the home to the University of Pittsburgh Panthers. Needless to say, this arrange-ment proved to be crowded, so on April 25, 1968 construction for Three Rivers Stadium began. When the city decided the teams deserved their own stadiums, the Pirates were moved again. On April 9, 2001 PNC Park opened just in time for the start of the season. This stadium holds 38,362 people, and plays home to the Pirates until today.

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