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.jpg) Aerial view of the Wide World of Sports Complex, 2008 | |
| Former names | Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex (1997–2010) |
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| Location | Walt Disney World |
| Coordinates | 28°20′13.5″N81°33′21.6″W / 28.337083°N 81.556000°W /28.337083; -81.556000 |
| Owner | Disney Experiences |
| Operator | Disney Sports Enterprises |
| Opened | March 28, 1997 (1997-03-28) |
| Tenants | |
| ESPN Events Invitational (NCAA Basketball) (2006–present) Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic (MLS) (2010–14) Gulf Coast League Braves (Gulf Coast League) (1997–2019) Atlanta Braves (Grapefruit League) (1997–2019) MLS is Back Tournament (MLS) (2020) 2020 NBA BubblePlayoffs (NBA) (2020) 2020–21 NBA G League season (2021) Tampa Bay Rays (Grapefruit League) (2023) | |
| Website | |
| ESPN WWS Official Website | |
| Walt Disney World |
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| Theme parks |
| Water parks |
| Other attractions and areas |
| Resorts |
| Affiliated services |
| Transport |
TheESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a 220-acre (89 ha) multi-purposesports complex located atWalt Disney World Resort inBay Lake, Florida, United States, nearOrlando. Opened on March 28, 1997, the complex allows families to combinetournaments andcompetition with a visit to vacation destinations in the area. The complex includes nine venues and hosts numerous professional and amateur sporting events throughout the year.
In reference to the weeklyABC Sports television show,Wide World of Sports (Disney boughtABC in 1996), the complex was originally known asDisney's Wide World of Sports Complex from 1997 until 2010, when it was rebranded with the name of the Disney-ownedESPN.
The complex is a part of thesports tourism emerging market.[1] The complex is mainly used forAAU tournaments; however, many prominent professional sporting events have taken place here, including the2020 NBA Bubble,MLS is Back Tournament,2016 Invictus Games,Pro Bowl skills competition from 2017 to 2020, 1997U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, andAtlanta Braves spring training from 1997 to 2019 among other events. The complex hosted the 2022Special Olympics USA Games.
TheTampa Bay Rays used the complex for 2023 spring training, due toCharlotte Sports Park having been heavily damaged byHurricane Ian.[2]
Disney built the US$100 million facility on former wetlands under the direction of Disney vice presidentReggie Williams.[3] Construction started in July 1995.[4] The complex was built to publicize Walt Disney World, fill hotel rooms, grow sponsorship revenue, and build Walt Disney World's position as a sports destination.[1]
The venue opened on March 28, 1997, with an exhibition baseball game between theAtlanta Braves and theCincinnati Reds.[5] On April 21–27, the main tennis courts hosted the U.S. Men's Clay Court Tennis Championships. A grand opening was held May 15, 1997. The initial build out consisted of nine venues with a 10th, the Olympic velodrome, expected in the third quarter 1997.[5] Initial tenants were Braves & its rookie team, theHarlem Globetrotters,NFL Experience, theU.S. Men's Clay Court Championships,Amateur Athletic Union,[6]Official All Star Café andNortheastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society.[4]:2 Disney bid for the Florida state high school football finals for 1997 but lost to Gainesville. In June 1999, the complex made a deal with the Florida High School Activities Association to host the state prep volleyball championships at the Disney Fieldhouse for three years.[7] USA Trampoline and Tumbling Championships was held at the complex the weekend of June 7, 1997.[8]
A former baseball umpire and an architect alleged that they approached The Walt Disney Company in 1987 with plans for a sports complex, and that Wide World of Sports, which opened 10 years later, was heavily based on their designs. Disney claimed that, while the designs had some similarities, the complex was also similar to numerous other sporting facilities, and the concept of a sports park was too generic for any one group to claim ownership. The two men, represented in part by noted attorneyJohnnie Cochran, sued Disney inOrange Countycivil court. In August 2000, a jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs with damages in the amount of $240 million, a fraction of the $1.5 billion sought.[9] Disney appealed the judgment, and settled out of court in September 2002 for undisclosed terms.[10]
WithPlanet Hollywood just out of bankruptcy, Disney offered to purchase its All Star Café located here in February 2000 and acquired the lease in March 2000.[11] It became What's Next? Cafe in 2007 before being rebranded as ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill in 2010.[12]
In August 2004, 20 acres of additional fields, four baseball diamonds with other multi-use fields, were added under the name ofHess Sports Fields.[13] Plans for a 100 lane bowling stadium with restaurant was announced for the complex by Disney officials in May 2008. This stadium would be built and operated by a third party and was supposed to completed in 18 months. About 13 United States Bowling Congress tournaments were expected for the facility.[14]
During anESPN the Weekend kick off event on February 25, 2010,[15] the complex was rebranded as the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. It received a massive upgrade, having installed HD videoscoreboards at several venues, a new complex-wide audio system, and a broadcast production facility. New venues and activities at the complex included the PlayStation Pavilion and Custom Tee Center by Champion.[16]
Prior to the rebranding in 2007, Disney announced a 450-acre Flamingo Crossings hotel-and-retail development. It would be located near the area for complex visitors and budget-minded Disney World visitors. Shelved due to economic downturn, the project was revived with the 2013 sale of the property to first phase developer JL Properties Inc. of Alaska. An October 16, 2014, groundbreaking took place for the first phase, consisting of twoMarriott International brand hotels which opened in January 2016.[17][18]
From 2006 to 2008, theDisney Channel Games were held at the complex. Due to actor availability issues, The Disney Channel Games were cancelled in 2009 and onwards.[19] From May 9–11, 2014, aWNBA pre-season tournament consisting of four teams was held alongside an AAU girls basketball tournament at the complex, with theMinnesota Lynx winning the tournament over theChicago Sky 76–69.[20] While theCitrus Bowl was under repairs, theOrlando City Soccer Club played its 2014 home games at the complex.[21]
In July 2015, it was announced that the2016 Invictus Games would be held at the complex.[22] The Invictus Games were held from May 8 to 12, 2016.Prince Harry,Michelle Obama, andMorgan Freeman all spoke at the Opening and Closing ceremony. Over 500 service members were in attendance, along with other notable public figures, including former United States PresidentGeorge W. Bush and Second LadyJill Biden.[23]
In early January 2018, The Arena opened at the complex as its third indoor multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena.[24] Also that month,United States Specialty Sports Association left for theSpace Coast Complex inViera, Florida ending its use of ESPN's complex.[25]
Since 2017, the Complex is host of theNFL Pro Bowl activities prior to the game.[26] Besides having open practices for fans, ESPN broadcasts the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, a series of head-to-head competitions between the players.[27] According to event organizers, over the last four years, the Pro Bowl and festivities surrounding it have generated an estimated $100-million economic impact for Central Florida.[26]
In March 2019, it was announced that Wide World of Sports would host the 2022Special Olympics USA Games.[28]
In May 2020, due to the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, there were reports that bothMajor League Soccer and theNBA were in talks with Disney to host the teams to have their respective seasons in the complex.[29][30]
It was then confirmed that the complex would host both leagues. The2020 Major League Soccer season held theMLS is Back Tournament, which had three regular season matches for each of the 26 teams as well as a bracket tournament to determine a berth into the2021 CONCACAF Champions League (for a total of 54 matches), from July 8 to August 11.[31] On August 11, 2020, thePortland Timbers defeatedOrlando City SC 2–1 to win the tournament.[32]
Meanwhile, the2019–20 NBA season was concluded at the AdventHealth Arena, HP Field House, and the Visa Athletic Center. 22 teams were invited: the 16 teams in playoff position at the time of the season being put on hold due to the pandemic, including the hostOrlando Magic, and the six teams within six games of the eighth and final playoff spot in either conference. The three chosen arenas hosted scrimmages, eight regular season games for each team invited to theNBA Bubble starting July 30, a play-in mini-series, and the entirety of theNBA Playoffs and Finals.[33][34] On October 11, 2020, theLos Angeles Lakers defeated theMiami Heat 106–93 to win the best-of-7 series 4–2.[35]
In 2021, theNBA G League reached an agreement to host the2020–21 season exclusively at the complex.[36] On March 11, 2021, theLakeland Magic defeated theDelaware Blue Coats 97–78 to win the championship.[37]
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A 7,500 seatbaseball stadium built in 1997 also has 2,000 more lawn seating. One of the original components of Wide World of Sports, it was formerly known asChampion Stadium,Cracker Jack Stadium andThe Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports. It was thespring training home of theAtlanta Braves from 1997 to 2019, and the recurring home for theGulf Coast Braves. The Braves initially announced that 2017 would be their final year in the complex, but their departure would be delayed to 2019.[38] In 2020, the Atlanta Braves officially moved their spring training site toCoolToday Park located inNorth Port, Florida after 21 years in the ESPN complex.[39] The stadium has hosted two regular seasonMajor League Baseball series in 2007 and 2008 featuring theTampa Bay Rays as the home team.[40]
A 5,000-seat multi-purposearena, formerly theMilk House, Disney Fieldhouse and HP Field House, sponsored byState Farm. It hosts theESPN Events Invitationalcollege basketball tournament annually. The State Farm Field House has 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2)[41] with stadium style seating with the highest row 35 feet (11 m) off the floor. It also features a smaller gymnasium behind the main arena with retractable seating. It was formerly sponsored by theCalifornia Milk Processor Board, progenitors of the famousGot Milk? campaign.[citation needed] Beginning in 2018, the arena hosts the Jr. NBA Global Championship, a tournament that features both boys' and girls' teams divided into national and international regions (and is thus similar in setup to theLittle League World Series). It also hosted the first-ever NBA play-in game between thePortland Trail Blazers and theMemphis Grizzlies in2020 bubble basketball.
First announced in March 2007, the complex's 10th anniversary year, theVisa Athletic Center (formerly Jostens Center) is a 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) arena (36% smaller than the HP Field House without the stadium seating) that opened in the fall of 2008. The center features six college-sizebasketball courts, twelvevolleyball courts,[42] or tworoller hockey rinks. Itsseating capacity is 1,200.
AdventHealth Arena opened in early January 2018 as the third indoor multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena at the complex. While multipurpose, the venue was designed for cheer and dance events. Its first event was the UCA and UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship, January 12 to the 14, 2018.[24] It has 8,000 seats in standard arena configuration, and features a flexible configuration that can accommodate six regulation-sized basketball or volleyball courts.[24] AdventHealth Arena hosted the Eastern and Western Conference Finals of the2020 NBA Playoffs, along with the2020 NBA Finals.
Marathon Sports Fields, presented byMarathon Petroleum, consists of twelve fields, the Baseball Quadraplex, Softball Quadraplex and four multiple purpose fields.
One of the fields has 500 permanent seats, and another has 1,000 permanent seats, expandable to up to 3,000 with additional grandstands. Field 17, the field with the larger grandstands, hosts theWalt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic, an annual eight-team preseasonsoccer tournament featuringMajor League Soccer teams.
The complex hosted theUSL ProOrlando City Soccer Club during the 2014 season. The team had additional seating added for a total of 5,200 seats.[21]
Consisting of fourprofessional baseball fields and one practiceinfield, the quadraplex also includes batting tunnels, pitching mounds, hitting tunnels, masters pitching machines, and tenbullpens. All fields are equipped for night play.
The first venue to be completed at the facility, it consists of six fields used forsoftball and youthbaseball. Organized with four fields in circle and two adjacent.
A 1,000 to 8,500 seattennis complex with 10-clay courts with center court stadium and was one of the original nine venues.[41]
A 500-seat competition facility fortrack and field events, designed toInternational Association of Athletics Federations specifications. This venue was one of the original nine venues.[41]
Disney created a third of its events while bidding for other tournaments or attracting long term partners such as the Amateur Athletic Union. As of 2006, the union hosted at the complex 30 to 35 tournaments a year. TheUnited States Specialty Sports Association had reserved six weekends at the complex.[1] Disney also hosted more than 180 events involving more than 30 sports at the complex since 2006.[1] In recent years, the complex has been utilized in wide ranges from many youth and collegiate sports activities to even providing alternative measures for some professional sports leagues to complete their seasons in some safer environments. Some of these following programs and events have taken place in various areas at the complex over the years.
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| Preceded by | Home ofOrlando City Soccer Club 2014 | Succeeded by |
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Owners:Walt Disney Company (80%);Hearst Communications (20%) | |||||||||||||||||||
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