Stadiums of the Olympics (North America)
Los Angeles, Cleveland, Montreal, and Atlanta
(This page is under construction.)

Los Angeles, 1932

In the 1930s, Hollywood was quickly become the entertainment center of the universe, and Los Angeles was a logical gathering place for athletes from around the world. Major League baseball was not played there for another quarter century, however.

Cleveland, 1932 (NOT!)

The "Mistake on the Lake" was built, according to some sources, in hopes of attracting the 1932 Olympic Games to the industrial city on Lake Erie. If so, it failed in this mission, and it soon became apparent that its intended permanent use -- as home of the Cleveland Indians -- was not suitable either.

Montreal, 1976

Like Cleveland Stadium, was built with the intention of being used for baseball and football after the Olympic Games were over. There were huge cost overruns and engineering difficulties, however, so the facility remained in an incomplete state when the Olympics began. As the novelty wore off over the years, this "white elephant" came to be regarded as a dark and depressing place to play baseball, with many thousands of empty seats game after game.

Los Angeles, 1984

Once again, Los Angeles was chosen to hold the Olympics for 1984, and played a part in the Cold War drama of those tense years. In retaliation for the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980, the Soviet Union and many of its allies boycotted the 1984 Olympics. One key communist nation did participate, however: The People's Republic of China.

Atlanta, 1996

Ted Turner was at the height of his influence when the Olympics came to Atlanta in 1996. The Braves were winning the National League pennant almost every year, and there were high hopes that this would continue after they moved into the scaled-back version of Olympic Stadium (later called "Turner Field") after the Olympics were over. In fact, they only made it to the World Series once after moving into Turner Field -- in 1999, when they lost to the Yankees.