Alcatraz is the starting point for the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Read about other gimmicky venues here.
When Tennessee announced it would host Major League Baseball in a motorsports venue (no kidding: a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves is coming to the Bristol Speedway in 2025), it raised the question: What are some of the most unique places sports have been contested?
And sports, ever the place for a gimmick, is happy to answer, making it clear that event owners won’t just push the envelope, they’ll lick the stamp.
Oh, we already know about pickleball being played on cruise ships, by the way. Royal Caribbean International’s new Odyssey of the Seas ship offers a pickleball-themed cruise that includes “clinics, drills and fun times with our own certified pickleball professional,” according to advertising materials. But the Holland America Line has taken the idea even further, becoming the Official Cruise Line of the Professional Pickleball Association, according to Forbes.com.
“While select ships on various other cruise lines — including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Princess Cruises — have sports courts that can sometimes be adapted for pickleball, Holland America Line is going all in with dedicated pickleball courts on every ship,” the site reported in December.
“By February 2023, every ship in the Holland America Line fleet will feature pickleball courts with top-deck views. By April 2023, every ship will offer complimentary beginner lessons from instructors who will teach the rules and basics of playing pickleball, including where the ‘kitchen’ is and what it means to hit a ‘dink’ shot. In addition to live instruction, ‘How to Play Pickleball’ tutorial videos will be featured on in-stateroom TV programming.”
Another line, Norwegian, recently hosted a cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl that took enthusiasts of the Internet trick-shot cult favorite bro-group Dude Perfect on a long weekend getaway that included cutthroat pickleball competition featuring pros from the Selkirk pickleball line, as well as learn-to-play sessions. Not to be outdone, the Savannah Bananas have a cruise planned as well, this one aboard the Norweigian Jade.
So, yeah. Cruise ships. Been there, done that. What else?
Well, motorsports venues have been named but this one is worth mentioning but this one is worth an extra look: The American Royal World Series of Barbecue, held at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
Want to take your action offshore? Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt played a game of tennis on speed boats that were racing parallel to one another in Sydney, Australia. The video is here, in case you don’t believe it. (They actually did pretty well, all things considered.)
Tennis seems to have been the one that pushed the limits in general; a match between a man and a woman (gasp!) was also held on the wings of an in-flight bi-plane in 1925. And while the balls got blown away (so no competitive tennis was actually played), the bottom line is, of course, yay, courage.
That's certainly not the end of the daredevil conumdrum; plenty of other events continue to bring attention to sports (and, well, guts). The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon allows athletes to dive off the side of Alcatraz Island and swim to the shore, a laborious journey; in fact, although three men were have been reported to have actually gotten out of prison (which meant swimming in the water) in 1962, there are no reports as to what happened to them next. (From the island to land, it’s a 1.5-mile swim that only seasoned triathletes will attempt.) But all told, an interesting gimmick for a sports event.
Then there's the Ballpark Back 9 at Oracle Park, where you can tee up at San Francisco's MLB stadium in November. According to MLB.com, "Golfers will tee off and try to land their shots onto greens on the field. Tee boxes will be positioned in the most iconic ballpark locations as guests swing their way through nine holes before ending the round at a 10th hole putting challenge."
But for a comprehensive listing of some other interesting venues, you have to thank our friends at The Weather Channel for doing the legwork (seriously, The Weather Channel has this compilation of the following eight destinations; be sure to read the link for more details):
Underground Cricket Match, Honister Slate Mine, England
The world's first underground cricket match was played in Honister Slate Mine, the last working slate mine in England, on December 5, 2013. The cricketers played on a pitch 2,000 feet inside the mine. The bails were pieces of slate and the wicket was a mesh mat, according to The Guardian.
Tennis Court in the Sky, Burj al Arab, Dubai, UAE
In 2005, tennis greats Andre Agassi and Roger Federer took the sport to new heights when they played a friendly match on one of the world's most unique tennis courts -- the helipad of the Burj al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located 692 feet in the air. The Burj Al Arab luxury hotel converted its helipad to a grass tennis court, and Federer and Agassi tried it out for a "friendly hit," according to ESPN.
Floating Green, Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course, Idaho
Located in northern Idaho approximately 31 miles east of Spokane, Washington, the 338-room Couer d'Alene Resort is most known for its award-winning golf course with the world's only floating green. The 14,000-square-foot floating green at the 14th hole consists of 104 Styrofoam blocks encased with concrete, according to the Associated Press.
It shifts position on the water daily, directed by a computerized mechanical system that allows the distance from the tees to range from 100 to 220 yards, reported WorldGolf.com. A wooden water taxi - named "Putter" - shuttles golfers from dock to dock, with a pilot at the wheel.
Rooftop Soccer Field, Futsal Park, Tokyo, Japan
Perhaps situated in one of the most unique locations for a soccer field, Japan's Adidas Futsal Park sits on top of a department store adjoining the Shibuya station. The park hosts nightly tournaments for a variety of players.
Golf Course on Ice, Uummannaq, Greenland
There is an ice golf course in Uummannaq, Greenland, where temperatures can fall 20 degrees below zero. The World Ice Golf Championships have been held at Ummannaq since 1997, according to Golf.com. Glaciers and icebergs are part of the course, where the "green" is so white, golfers have to use brightly colored balls to keep track of them.
Floating Stadium, Marina Bay, Singapore
Completed in 2007, the Float at Marina Bay in Singapore is the world's largest floating stage. It's being used for concerts and performance but it has also hosted major sporting events, such as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. On the edge of the bay, a 30,000-seat grandstand faces a nearly 33,000-square-foot steel platform that sits atop 200 pontoons, according to Popular Mechanics. The platform has served as the start and finish point for the 2007 Aviva IRONMAN 70.3 Singapore triathlon.
Ski in the Desert, Ski Dubai, Dubai, UAE
Skiing and snowboarding, in the middle of a desert, is possible in Dubai, where the huge Mall of the Emirates boasts five separate runs, complete with chairlift and tow, according to CNN. But what's odder than a ski resort in the middle of the desert? A tennis court in the middle of the ski resort in the middle of the desert. In 2006, tennis players Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport rallied in minus 2 degrees Celsius at a specially-built tennis court in the resort, in preparation for the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, according to TennisX.
Stadium with a View, Toftir, Faroe Islands
While it's a humble stadium, dwarfed by the Europe's other massive stadiums, views from the Svangaskarð stadium in Toftir, a village in Nes Municipality on the island of Eysturoy, are unbeatable. From afar it looks like it is perched precariously on the edge of rugged rocks and once up close, you realize just how near it is to the sea, according to CNN.
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