The Grossest Pro Sports Stadiums in the US, According to Health Violations Study

ESPN's Outside the Lines reviewed food-safety data for 111 North American pro sports venues.

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 27:  A general view of the outside of Bobcats Arena before the start of the 2008 NCAA Men's East Regional Semifinal games on March 27, 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 27: A general view of the outside of Bobcats Arena before the start of the 2008 NCAA Men's East Regional Semifinal games on March 27, 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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A review of food-safety reports from all 111 North American pro sports venues by ESPN‘s Outside the Lines has revealed the grimiest arena in the United States.

Congratulations to the home of the Hornets of the NBA, the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

With a violation rate of 92%, the 20,000-seat Spectrum Center had 25 violations in all, 23 of them deemed to be high-level. Violations found by inspectors included beer leaking from the ceiling and bartenders using their bare hands to garnish cocktails.

There was also a food prep problem. “On March 16, 2016, inspectors noted that throughout the arena “there has been a consistent failure to properly document when food should be cooked, served or discarded because it was no longer safe to serve,” according to the OTL report. “The violation was noted using all capital letters.”

In MLB, the team with the scuzziest stadium is New York with Yankee Stadium. In the NFL, it’s the home of the Panthers in Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium. And in the NHL the nastiest venue in the league is the home of the Stars, American Airlines Center, in Dallas.

On the clean end of the spectrum were NRG Stadium in Houston (NFL), Oracle Arena in Oakland (NBA), the Prudential Center in Newark (NHL), and Miller Park in Milwaukee (MLB).

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