Sports and Spirits Collide at These Three Haunted Stadiums

Content Warning: Suicide

There’s no doubt about how superstitious athletes are. What isn’t always expected is how spooky the arenas they play in can be. In celebration of Halloween, here’s a list of some of the most haunted stadiums and famous ghost stories in the sports world. 

Frontier Field in Rochester, N.Y.

The Rochester Red Wings from New York were a very successful minor-league baseball team in the 90s. After winning 19 International League championships, Monroe County decided the dedicated fanbase deserved a new stadium, according to ESPN. 

When construction began in 1997, workers immediately found bones buried beneath the area. Though it was disputed whether the remains were human or animal, it didn’t stop the spread of rumors attempting to explain the strange occurrences that eventually happened at the field.

First, technology frequently malfunctioned in rooms where no one had entered in days, and the team started an unexpected losing streak. In 2004, a group of paranormal investigators came in. 

It was then officially declared “haunted.” 

Since the team hadn’t won since 1997 when they first moved into the stadium, some argue it was declared haunted to try and explain their losing streak.

The University of Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

It’s no secret the University of Notre Dame is known for its football. The team started in 1887 and continues to attract sellout crowds every game. 

However, the stadium definitely has a plethora of ghost stories and unusual behavior. 

George Gipp, the famous “Gipper,” contracted pneumonia one night after staying out too late and getting locked out of his dorm. He passed away soon after in 1920, and is said to still haunt the halls of the stadium. 

Gipp was on the football team and was the first Notre Dame player to make the All-American team. Gipp also holds the university record for the highest yards per rush for one season, according to Sports Planning Guide. 

Many believe he never moved on from the university or stadium, and attendees claim they often hear footsteps around campus, objects being moved and the feeling of someone by their side. One student even claimed they saw his ghost one night soon after his death. 

Though some argue this retelling of his death is false — claiming his pneumonia was due to a lack of antibiotics available for his prolonged sickness — it doesn’t stop the endless ghost stories and ways he lives on in the stadium and sports. 

The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario

Located in downtown Toronto, this popular hockey museum used to be the headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. 

But the Hall of Fame never fully recovered from a past tragic death. A 19-year-old Bank of Montreal employee, Dorothea committed suicide by shooting herself in the second-floor bathroom. 

Employees would hear strange noises around the halls and even shrieking. They would turn around from their desk for a brief moment, then return back and find things messy and chaotic. People even refused to use the bathroom where the incident occurred because of how uncomfortable they would be. 
Now she is nicknamed “Dorothy,” and though the bank moved, people report similar feelings from the Hall of Fame, according to ESPN. These paranormal experiences may never leave the Hall of Fame’s patrons, just like a ghost may never truly leave its final resting place.