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02 November 2010

Colosseum and Space Coast Stadium: Places for Entertainment

When we think of entertainment, one thing that comes to mind is sports. In ancient Rome, for example, a popular form of entertainment was the gladiator games that took place at the Colosseum. In the present United States, one of the most popular means of entertainment is sports, baseball in particular, and there are stadiums all over the country where those games are held, such as the Space Coast Stadium in Brevard County. Then and now we find two different cultures that enjoy different types of sports as entertainment, but despite some of the obvious differences between the venues, we may surprisingly find that they are similar in many ways.

The Colosseum, known at the time as the Flavian Amphitheater, was the place used for gladiator shows and mock sea battles (MacDonald, 28). Gladiators were normally slaves or prisoners-of-war who fought for their lives with a promise that winners would be set free. They entered the arena and shouted We who are about to die, salute you! as they filed past the imperial stand (Ancient Rome, 34). In contrast, at the stadiums before our ballgames, spectators and players together sing the national anthem. In our culture these days, the closest we have to the gladiators shout is when singing the AC/DC (rock band) song titled For those about to rock, we salute you!

Because of the nature of our game, families with kids are welcome and encouraged to come to any game. Prizes are distributed during the games and many activities, like the wave,

singing and dancing, keep them all entertained. At the Space Coast Stadium there is even a special area where kids can play while the game is happening. That is definitely a place where all family members can go visit together. Amazingly enough, this was also the case with the Colosseum -- adults and children alike would go see the violent games held at the arena.

At the Colosseum, the crowd actively participated in the results of the game -- should a gladiators life be spared or not? -- and so did the emperor, who had the last say on the results. In our stadiums, the game is decided by the rules of the game, which are the same for everyone, and the referees. The fans cheer, but they do not decide who the winner is.

With seats for about 60,000 spectators, the Colosseum was built by Emperor Vespasian to satisfy the blood lust of the Romans for fights to the death between gladiators or between bestiarii (animal fighters) and wild animals (Roberts, 126). There were also other shows, either as curtain raisers or to fill in during intervals, but not by any means less cruel (Staccioli, 10). Even though the kind of games played and shows hosted at the Space Coast Stadium, which seats up to 8,100 fans, are nothing like what the Romans had, we, too, have curtain raiser and intermission shows; that is still part of our culture.

The construction of the Colosseum started in 72 C.E. and it took eight years to complete, and was finally opened by Vespesians son, the Emperor Titus (Stewart, 30). The name Colosseum makes justice to its gigantic size, as described by Staccioli:

[Its] major axis of its elliptical plan is 188m long, the minor axis attains 156m, and the walls in the outer ring rise to almost 50m above ground; more than 100,000 cubic

metres of travertine were used to build it and even the metal cramps that held the blocks together must have weighed more than 300 tons. . . . The interior of the Colosseum consisted of the arena, a wooden floor sustaining a bed of sand and covering an area of about 76m by 46m, and the stands or cavea, subdivided into three superposed gradin sectors crowned on high by a loggia that housed a fourth order of gradin, made of wood and providing the standing room. Each sector of gradins was rigorously reserved for a particular class of citizens, the places on top being assigned to the least important, though all enjoyed free entry. . . . An enormous awning protected the spectators from the heat of the sun (10-12)

The Space Coast Stadium, on the other hand, was opened only one year after its construction started in 1993. The stadiums dimensions are 340 feet to the left and right field fence and 404 feet to center (Space Coast Stadium), a much smaller building when compared to the Colosseum. Despite that and the fact that all fans need to pay for their tickets in order to go see a game, the stadiums shape, seat organization, canopy protected areas and center field arena much resemble those of the Colosseum in concept.

One thing that our stadiums include, and the Space Coast Stadium is no exception, is souvenir and refreshment vendors that were not present in the Colosseum. At the Space Coast Stadium there is even a tiki bar for adult fans to sit, relax and enjoy the game while sipping a little cocktail drink.

While at the Colosseum the Emperor was always at the games, at stadiums we do not

see our presidents very often, they do not come to every single ballgame. Presidents might come to a special event, to deliver a speech, to campaign for votes, but not to every ordinary game. In 2004, the Space Coast Stadium had the honor to receive President George W. Bush during his final campaign rallies for the 2004 Presidential Election.

So, we can easily spot a lot of differences between the two sports enjoyed by ancient Romans and current Americans; we can also easily see the differences in the architecture of the two venues where those sports were played. However, both the Colosseum and the Space Coast Stadium are places for entertainment, they both hosted a large number of spectators and they both had a few shared characteristics in their usage.

As we can see, the kind of sports and shows that are considered entertaining may vary depending on the culture of the spectators and even the year we are in, but the venues where it all happens may have timeless similarities.

Works Cited

Ancient Rome. Ed. Paul C. Roberts. Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1997. Print.

Macdonald, Fiona. 100 Things You Should Know about Ancient Rome. Pennsylvania: Mason Crest, 2003. Print.

Roberts, Timothy R. Ancient Rome: Chronicles of the Roman World. New York: Friedman/Fairfax, 2000. Print.

Space Coast Stadium. Viera. The Viera Company, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. <http:// www.viera.com/public/Attraction.jsp?id=28>

Space Coast Stadium, Viera, FL. BallParkReviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. <http://www.ballparkreviews.com/viera/viera.htm>

Staccioli. Ancient Rome: monuments past and present. Trans. H. Garret. Rome: Vision, 1989. Print.

Stewart, David. Inside Ancient Rome. New York: Enchanted Lions Book, 2005. Print.

Washington Nationals Spring Training Ballpark: Space Coast Stadium. NatsTown - The official site of the Washington Nationals. Washington Nationals, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. <http:// washington.nationals.mlb.com/spring_training/ballpark.jsp?c_id=was>