Top Multi-Purpose Sports Facilities

Many professional sports franchises are developing expensive and specialized stadiums. These sport-specific stadiums occasionally host an event belonging to a different sport.

The NHL's Winter Classic and the NCAA's March Madness are prime examples of events that use a venues for a sports that are not normally played there.

This slideshow is intended to recognize the venues that host various sports. The flexibility and organization of these facilities allows for many sports at the highest level to be regularly played at the same location.

Here are the top multi-purpose sports facilities.

TD Garden

The TD Garden is a legendary venue in Boston. It is the home of the Boston Celtics of the NBA and the Boston Bruins of the NHL.

It has hosted several rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the Frozen Four, the Women's Basketball Final Four, NBA Finals and Stanley Cups.

The stadium opened in September of 1995 and has had several name changes since.

The $160 million dollar stadium holds around 18,000 people for both Celtics and Bruins games.

Carrier Dome

"The Dome" first opened in 1980 and while simple—it is one of the most electrifying atmospheres in all of college sports.

It seats nearly 50,000 people for football games and over 30,000 for basketball games. The Carrier Dome is home to the Syracuse Orange football, basketball and lacrosse teams.

On February 27, 2010, an NCAA record crowd of 34,616 people saw the Orange defeat the Villanova Wildcats.

The dome has also hosted rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on six separate occasions and was twice the home of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships.

When more than 30,000 screaming college students pack a dome, it's a heaven for the Orange and hell for the opposition.

Yoyogi National Gymnasium

This stunning stadium in Tokyo, Japan, was opened in 1964.

It is known for its sophisticated roof design and had the world's attention during the 1964 Summer Olympics, hosting swimming and diving events.

It is currently used for hockey, basketball and futsal matches and its capacity is around 13,300 people.

It has hosted NHL matches, Asian National Cheerleading Championships and the 2010 World Judo Championships. It is small in capacity size but extremely well-crafted.

United Center

The United Center is a $175 million dollar stadium that hosts the NBA's Chicago Bulls and the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.

It seats about 20,000 people for basketball and hockey games but has the capacity to seat more in special games or events.

The venue has also hosted various rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, World Wrestling competitions, Ultimate Fighting events and various concerts—it was even the venue of one of Oprah's last appearances on her show. Bill Clinton and his democratic party held the Democratic Nation Convention there in 1996.

Air Canada Centre

The Air Canada Centre is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, Toronto Raptors of the NBA and the Toronto Rock of the NLL.

The $342 million stadium seats an average of 19,000 people for its sporting events. It has hosted several concerts and conventions and even hosted the Liberal Party of Canada political convention.

The stadium opened in 1999 and is still in great shape.

O.co Coliseum

I realize that many people hate this stadium and want it gone, but give it some respect.

The stadium opened in 1966 and is the home of the Oakland Raiders of the NFL and the Oakland Athletics of the MLB.

It is currently the last venue to host both NFL and MLB games on a regular basis. The stadium seats more than 60,000 people for Raiders games and more than 35,000 people for A's games.

The stadium was also home to the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS and hosted games of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament.

Though the Raiders and Athletics want out, the days of games in this coliseum are running short and it deserves some respect. After all, it hosted sporting games at the highest level  for more than 45 years.

Madison Square Garden

It is the most famous arena in the world, after all.

Madison Square Garden opened in 1968 and cost $123 million before various renovations.

It is home to the New York Knicks of the NBA and the New York Rangers of the NHL.

The stadium is the NHL's oldest and the second-oldest in the NBA. The New York Liberty of the WNBA call it home, St. John's Red Storm plays there, as well as the New York Titans of the NLL. The Big East Tournament is annually played at The Garden.

MSG has also hosted the NBA and NFL drafts, the 1972, 1980 and 1992 Democratic National Conventions and various boxing/wrestling matches.

To top it off, concerts and shows at the garden are reserved for those at the pinnacle of their career. Musicians such as Michael Jackson, Elton John, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Elvis Presley and Justin Bieber have all performed—and even sold out shows there.

So, while Madison Square Garden's main purpose is to host sporting events, the mainstream media has also gotten in on some of the action.

Gillette Stadium

Gillette Stadium is home to the New England Patriots of the NFL, the New England Revolution of the MLS and of University of Massachusetts football.

The $325 million stadium opened in 2002 and is surfaced in FieldTurf, which is great for football but not ideal for soccer.

Having said that, Gillette stadium is a great venue. It seats nearly 70,000 people for football games and around 20,000 for MLS games.

The stadium consists of 6,000 club seats and 87 luxury suites. It is a sophisticated stadium with historical team names and figures in and around it—and it sure has treated the Patriots well.

RFK Stadium

Though the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium lost the Washington Redskins' services almost 15 years ago, it is still a treasure in the sports world.

Currently, it's home to D.C. United of the MLS. In the past, it has served as the home venue to the Redskins, the Texas Rangers (previously named the Washington Senators), and the Washington Nationals.

The stadium has also hosted matches in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, 2003 Women's World Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

The stadium was opened in 1961 and cost $20 million to construct. The stadium had to be versatile enough for world class football, soccer and baseball to be played their and it certainly completed the task.

The stadium has also hosted various CONCACAF competitions and friendly matches for the US Men's National Soccer Team. And to top it off, dozens of famous musicians and bands have played concerts their. This is probably the best do-it-all stadium ever constructed.

Stade De France

France's national stadium opened in 1998 and has a capacity of more than 80,000 people.

The stadium is the home to the French national soccer and rugby teams.

UEFA Champions League finals have been played their in 2000 and 2006, the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final was played there and the 1999 Rugby World Cup was centered their.

Also, the stadium has hosted the 2003 World Championships in athletics (track and field events) and even Motor-sport races were held at the venue.

What is most significant is that the Stade de France saw the first host country win the FIFA World Cup Finals, back in 1998.

Quick Summary

Though there are many extremely well-crafted European stadiums that serve various purposes, this slideshow only listed one.

This is because the American stadiums have to set up and tear-down rinks and courts several times per week.

Having a stadium and staff that is flexible to constantly change in order to accommodate various sports and schedules is very impressive.

European stadiums are beautiful, but have a lesser dimension in terms of productivity if only used for soccer, rugby and track.

The seating arrangements can stay the same, unlike American facilities that are constructed in ways to accommodate for various sports.

In terms of multi-functioning stadiums, this is why I gave American stadiums the upper edge.