Why don't cricket stadia have rooves?

Discussion in 'Sports and Fitness' started by picsiskvinechef, Aug 7, 2013.

  1. picsiskvinechef

    picsiskvinechef Lieutenant

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    It's 2013. Why should any Test match, or even one day or T20, be called off due to rain?

    Many other sports have stadia with rooves, so why not cricket?

    The only issue I can see is cost. The UK (counting for England as England is not a sovereign state) and Australia could afford it. Whilst India is still poor, it's private sector may fund it due to the sport's popularity there. However, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Jamaica, St. Kitts, etc. could not for sure.
     
  2. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    How many Stadia of ball and bat games be they Baseball, Cricket etc.. have Roofs?

    Sure the centre court at Wimbledon has one.
     
  3. SmoothieX

    SmoothieX Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Most stadiums don't have a roof. Some sports gets called off due to rain. I don't see the big deal.
     
  4. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Not many sporting events are called off due to rain in the UK. Football matches will be played in the raineven possible snow, Motorsports (i.e. F1) still take place if it's raining. Of course if it's torrential rain they might be postponed
     
  5. Thestral

    Thestral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Roofs.
     
  6. Roger Wilco

    Roger Wilco Admiral Admiral

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    What I don't understand is why so many American Football stadiums don't have roofs for the fans at least. I mean, if it's a cheap stadium or an old one I guess that's understandable but to spend literally billions of dollars on a new stadium, like the New Meadowlands and the new 49ers stadium, and not even protect the fans from rain and sun is just baffling to me.

    If there have been built more than a handful of soccer stadiums in Europe with >20.000 capacity in the last decade without at least partial roofing, I would be very surprised. I just don't get why that doesn't seem to matter at all in the US.
     
  7. Avon

    Avon Commodore Commodore

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    roofs
     
  8. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    American football fans will sit and watch the game in rain, sleet, snow or hail because they're not wussies! :p

    But really -- "rooves"?
     
  9. Jono

    Jono Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Well, in Australia they do play some cricket in a stadium with a retractable roof, Docklands Stadium in Melbourne. It isn't a "cricket ground", but they do play some T20s there. I think the rule is when the roof is closed if the batsman hits the ball into the roof, if it hits a part of the retractable roof it is called a dead ball.

    Most cricket grounds are completely unsuitable to just throw a roof on and I think you are underestimating just how expensive it might be to convert a single ground into a ground with a retractable roof. They are upgrading a stadium in Sydney that will include a retractable roof and it costs $200 million and it is just a footy stadium, so it is a bit smaller than your typical cricket ground.

    Plus how will a closed roof impact the game? Would it give an unfair advantage to say the batting side if they get a day under the roof and in the next innings the other side doesn't get it? Might not matter for T20s or 1 dayers as you can close the roof for the whole game easily, but what about test matches that last over multiple days?
     
  10. Avon

    Avon Commodore Commodore

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    from wikipedia: A more realistic test-match stadium would have more than 20,000 square yards of grass. In contrast an association football field needs only about 9,000 square yards of grass

    therefore, you'd need a much bigger rhoofe which would cost loads more.
     
  11. stoneroses

    stoneroses Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Sour grapes
     
  12. marksound

    marksound Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Just curious, does cricket generate enough revenue to justify a covered stadium? I have no idea, so I ask.

    American baseball is played in warm weather months, and rainouts are relatively few. Football in the US, on the other hand, is played in fall and winter months in various climates across the country. A team might play in near zero temps with snow on the ground in Chicago or Pittsburgh or Boston one week, then play in springlike weather in southern California or south Texas or Florida the next.

    A covered stadium can cost billions. Take a look at the state of the art Cowboys Stadium in the Dallas metroplex. http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/

    I don't have an answer to the OP question, but a covered stadium would have to be able to justify its existence and eventually pay for itself.
     
  13. SmoothieX

    SmoothieX Vice Admiral Admiral

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    As someone who has been to a bunch of football game in all sorts of shitty weather, there is something fun about going to a mudfest or snow bowl, if only to make fun of the fans who didn't check the weather before getting in the car. The elements are part of the game and the teams need to adapt accordingly.

    Baseball in the rain is just a slick mess.
     
  14. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

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    Yeah! Sitting around in shitty weather is part of the experience! Suck it up, bring a poncho, and have some beer!


    But also...

    "Rooves" is correct.
    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rooves
     
  15. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    It's an alternate but outdated plural of "roof" (although it was still taught in Australia and NZ well into the 1980s).

    So . . . Boxers or brieves? :)
     
  16. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Yes rooves can be used for the plural of roof, but roofs is the plural spelling most commonly used. Just as Stadium can have the plural spelt as Stadiums or Stadia.
     
  17. marksound

    marksound Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I think it's hilarious that "rooves" is getting so much attention here. There are sooo many more heinous violations of spelling and grammar and good taste in other topics in these fora, not to mention all over teh interwebz. :lol:
     
  18. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

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    I honestly can't recall the last time I had to say/spell the plural of "roof." I probably would've said "rooves," though I'm not sure why. :shrug:
     
  19. SmoothieX

    SmoothieX Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I would likely say 'rooves' but refer to multiple sports venues as 'stadiums.'
     
  20. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Perhaps it just comes down to where/when we were taught. As the preferred spelling can change over time.