Hurricanes and natural disasters are an unfortunate part of life for people who live in coastal cities.. For the most part, we haven’t seen these natural disasters impact sports teams too directly in the recent past.
Sometimes teams need to change their games from home to away to accommodate the storms, but recently, the Tampa Bay Rays suffered an almost unprecedented disaster at the hands of Hurricane Milton.
After Hurricane Milton ravaged the Tampa Bay area and the dust had all settled, the damage to Tropicana Field was seen from an overhead view and it was catastrophic.
BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images
Now, the Rays have released the official photos from inside the stadium, shared by reporter Ryan Bass — and it’s hard to stomach the true nature of the damage caused by the hurricane.
The damage from the outside looks notable, but from the inside, it’s only magnified how catastrophic it truly is. The roof is torn to shreds and left lying all around the field and the stands. Suites, concessions, walkways, and everything on the concourse have been destroyed.
The playing surface itself doesn’t appear to be too damaged, though it will likely receive a complete overhaul when the stadium is repaired over the next year or two.
The Rays’ field won’t be playable until the start of the 2026 season at the earliest. Until then, it appears as if Tampa Bay will be staying in town to play at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the rival New York Yankees.
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