The Stadium: 10 Years Later

Jake Leithiser / Mar 18, 2025

Sports

In 2015, we released the groundbreaking Future of Sports report with Delaware North, exploring transformative changes in the sports industry. Now, a decade later, we’re revisiting those predictions, reflecting on our insights, and examining the current state of the industry, starting with ‘The Stadium.’

Our 2015 prediction for the future of stadiums could be summed up in one word: extension. We envisioned sports stadiums and arenas evolving far beyond the traditional boundaries of the playing field and stands, both through technological advances and changes in the way we think about physical footprints of sports complexes. So, how did we measure up?

What We Got Right

“New megavenues that can handle up to 250,000 fans will redefine the game-day experience. The seating area around the field won’t necessarily grow, but the arena space will extend outward to include a greater variety of ways fans can experience game day.”

One aspect we were confident would evolve in the not-so-distant future was the integration of spaces directly outside of sports stadiums. Since our 2015 prediction, countless new venues have embraced the surrounding land as a crucial component of the gameday experience. SoFi Stadium, perhaps the ultimate example of blending the “inside” and “outside” worlds, had yet to break ground in 2015 and officially opened to widespread acclaim in 2020. The stadium complex, a part of the larger Hollywood Park development, features an expansive pedestrian plaza with interactive fan zones, food trucks, and more—along with the adjacent 6,000-seat Youtube Theater, all under one roof.

While SoFi Stadium may be the most high-profile example of “stadium sprawl,” it is by no means the only one. Since 2015, numerous venues have followed suit, with more on the way. The Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center, which opened in 2019, features a large outdoor plaza known as Thrive City. The space includes restaurants, bars and a mammoth video board that allows fans to immerse themselves in the gameday atmosphere—even without a ticket to the event.

But none may embody the idea of stadium sprawl as well as the Grand Stade Hassan II. The stadium complex, currently under construction outside of Casablanca, Morocco, is covered by a peaked lattice structure meant to evoke a moussem, a traditional North African regional gathering. The stadium will be surrounded by sweeping botanical gardens along with extensive use of greenery inside the confines, blurring the line between where the stadium ends and begins, and creating ample outdoor space for fan experiences. When completed, the stadium will be the largest football stadium in the world, and a contender to host a handful of 2030 World Cup games.

“Video walls will be built directly into stadium architecture.”

While we knew the incorporation of video into stadium architecture would evolve quickly in the decade following 2015, we didn’t anticipate it to happen on such an iconic scale as The Sphere—where the video wall has effectively become the stadium. Now unmistakable on the Las Vegas Skyline and one of the most recognizable venues in the world, The Sphere utilizes video walls in ways never seen before its grand opening in 2023.

The multiuse venue, which has played host to a variety of sporting events, including UFC 306 and the NHL 2024 Entry Draft, boasts 580,000 square feet of LED displays on its exterior, and another 160,000 square feet of video display inside, wrapping over half of the 18,600-seat arena. While the exterior display helps generate hype for upcoming events and provides unique advertising opportunities, the interior video walls deliver a fully immersive experience for attendees—one that is unmatched anywhere else.

At UFC 306, which occurred over Mexican Independence Day weekend and featured several Mexican fighters, a series of short films celebrating Mexico’s storied history in combat sports was showcased on the interior screen. The films were created specifically for The Sphere’s display, offering a one-of-a-kind experience for attendees.

Future Still Pending Department – predictions that have not yet arrived

“On-field holographic replays in the next 5-10 years”

Were we wrong—or just early? While we haven’t yet seen holographic players take the field for replays, extended reality technology is changing the way fans interact in physical space with their favorite sports and teams.

At the aforementioned UFC 306, attendees were greeted by a hologram of UFC President and CEO Dana White upon entry. Created by Proto, Inc., the hologram was part of their broader portfolio of sports activations, which most recently includes a partnership with the Chicago Bulls for “Derrick Rose Night”.

On the interactive-replay front, Intel’s True View camera arrays, installed at a variety of sports venues, capture volumetric video data to deliver immersive 360-degree replays and player perspectives that offer fans a view they don’t typically experience. Fans aren’t yet viewing these replays within the confines of the stadium, but rather on their phone screens and from the comforts of their own couches.

While we may have been too bullish on how quickly stadiums would fill real-world gridirons, diamonds and courts with holo-casts, it’s only a matter of time before holograms take the playing field.