The Ringcentral Coliseum

The RingCentral Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium located in Oakland, California. This facility is one of the oldest stadiums in California, opening in 1966. It stands out because it is the only stadium in the United States, which shares football and baseball games. The stadium has been successfully hosting games in both disciplines since 1968, counting a diverse tradition of sporting excellence. What makes this stadium's design unique is that the playing surface is actually below sea level. When the audience enters the stadium, they are immediately greeted with an amazing view, as they would be on the very top of the field, even from the first level of the seats. To top it off, the stadium was built on a hill to create its upper concourse. This means that there is only a smaller fraction of the park (the third deck) visible from the outside. This unique design quirk makes the stadium look deceptively small from the outside, revealing a much larger size once in. Today, the stadium has a variable seating capacity. It can accommodate up to 46,867 people, but the number can increase to a whopping 55,945 without the tarps. Because of its design, the Coliseum also has the largest foul area of any other major league baseball park. The versatile facility was quite perfect for both the A's and the Raiders, with the stadium switching the field's orientation, allowing the football playing area to run from the left line to the right line.

This particular stadium is quite central to the Oakland sporting community. The city had been trying to gain some prominence when it comes to sporting events since the neighboring city of San Francisco was usually well-known for its major league games and other mainstream professional sporting events. Throughout the 50s and early 60s, the city started a specific non-profit corporation, which had developed the Coliseum. This was a workaround to avoid directly linking the stadium's construction to public funds and avoid tapping into taxpayer money. The stadium went on to become the home of the Raiders before they eventually moved to Los Angeles. It is currently home to the Oakland Athletics, often referred to as "A's." The team was founded in Philadelphia back in 1901 but eventually moved several times. The A's relocated to Kansas City in 1955 and stayed there for a few years before eventually calling Oakland home from 1968. Throughout the years, the Coliseum kept evolving with new upgrades. In 2006, the stadium featured a new broadcast booth named after Bill King, one of the most famous and iconic broadcasters for the sports niche in the Bay Area.

In addition to its many sporting events, The RingCentral Coliseum has been the chosen venue for several concerts, most of which became legendary. For instance, the stadium as it was in 1974 was captured by the legendary soul artist Marvin Gaye, who chose to perform at this venue for his unforgettable comeback gig. The performance is available as "Marvin Gaye live!"

In addition to Gaye's excellent and historical performance, British rock titans Led Zeppelin performed at the venue. Many other bands performed at The RingCentral Coliseum, including rock giants such as Metallica, as well as Guns'N'Roses. However, one of the most memorable shows in recent times was Green Day. The group is actually from Oakland, and it was a really important milestone as a homecoming tour for them.

The stadium is featured on popular media, most notably in the Disney movie "Angels in the Outfield," which shows the stadium in 1994.