San Francisco 49ers' Candlestick Park and 5 NFL Stadiums in Dire Need of Upgrade

The San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers were delayed twice Monday night when a transformer blew at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, leaving fans and players sitting in the dark for around 30 minutes. 

Monday's incident only reaffirms how poor a facility Candlestick Park really is. Built in 1960 for the San Francisco Giants, Candlestick has been hosting the 49ers since 1971. The 49ers have been actively looking for a new stadium, and nearly had one nailed down in 2006 at Candlestick Point. Those plans were abandoned, however, and the 49ers are now looking at Santa Clara as their next landing spot.

Candlestick Park isn't the only NFL stadium in dire need of an upgrade or all-out removal. The following NFL stadiums also crack the list.

Metrodome, Minneapolis

We all saw the roof collapse last season under the weight of a blizzard, but the Metrodome has been home to the NFL's worst playing conditions for a while now. The entire building is outdated. The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the most active teams in trying to build a new stadium, but nothing solid has been put to paper yet. Their lease with the building ends after this season.

Soldier Field, Chicago

The stadium portion of Soldier Field is fine, even if some dislike the renovations the Bears made in 2003. The actual playing field is a disaster, however. The natural grass field is always chewed up, and earlier this season, a game against the Green Bay Packers had to be stopped for a dangerous metal object protruding from the field. FieldTurf has never been implemented in Chicago, but it should. 

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego

The Padres already left this nearly 50-year-old stadium, and the Chargers are actively looking to replace it as their home field. The entire stadium is obsolete by NFL standards, and San Diego won't get another Super Bowl until they build a new stadium.

O.co Coliseum, Oakland

It says a lot about the California economy that all three stadiums from that state crack this list. The O.co Coliseum might be the worst, too. This was another stadium built with baseball in mind, and Mount Davis—a 10,000-seat upper deck expansion—only made the place look worse. The Raiders need a new black hole.