Grabbing a hot dog or other fan-favorite snack to eat during the game is an essential part of the stadium experience for most fans. A new report that ranks 111 North American professional sports stadia for the highest and lowest health and hygiene will help fans steer clear of any food fouls.
ESPN’s Outside the Lines has reviewed the food safety inspection reports from health departments that monitor professional football, basketball, baseball and hockey venues across North America from 2016 to 2017. The results are far from appetizing.
It discovered that at 28% of the venues, half or more of the outlets had a high-level violation. Such violations could include pests and bugs, poor condition of food, temperature, equipment failure or employee-related issues. Each violation is classified in severity from low to high.
The top three worst offenders, which according to ESPN’s report had the highest percentage of food outlets where inspectors allegedly found at least one or more high-level violations, are:
Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina (home to the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets): 92%
Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan (closed in 2017, was home to the NBA’s Detroit Pistons): 86.11%
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas (home to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks): 83.08%
The top three best performers and places where you can consume some food more safely, are:
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California (home to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors): 1.12%
State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia (home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks): 4.17%
NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas (home to the NFL’s Houston Texans): 4.44%
You can find the full list of venues here.
