Stadium is a large structure for spectators built around a playing field or arena. A stadium has seats arranged in tiers (rows) from which spectators view football and baseball games, track meets, boxing matches, and other public events. Universities have built many stadiums for athletic games. Some cities have built municipal stadiums where both civic events and sports events are held. Domed stadiums can be used for baseball, football, circuses, conventions, and other events.
One of the first stadiums was the footrace course in Olympia in ancient Greece. Other famous stadiums were in Delphi, Athens, and Epidaurus in Greece and in Ephesus in Asia Minor. Usually, terraces shaped like horseshoes enclosed the stadiums to give the spectators a clear view of the field. Seats were often built on the terraces. The famous stadium in Athens was rebuilt and used for the Olympic Games in 1896.
The word stadium comes from the Greek word stadion, which referred to the distance between the pillars at each end of the stadium located at Olympia (about 630 feet, or 192 meters).
