Fifth Third Ballpark
Encyclopedia
Fifth Third Ballpark is a baseball
stadium
located in Comstock Park
, Michigan
, just north of Grand Rapids
. Fifth Third Ballpark is home to the West Michigan Whitecaps
, a professional minor league baseball
team, and class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers
. Fifth Third Ballpark was originally built in 1994 as Old Kent Park. The name was changed when Fifth Third Bank
purchased Old Kent Bank in 2000.
Fifth Third Ballpark has been expanded in 1995, 1996, and 1998. It currently has a seating capacity
of 11,123, including 8,823 fixed chairback seats.
The stadium was built entirely with private funds. No taxpayer dollars were used in the construction.
In addition to baseball, Fifth Third Ballpark can also be used for other events including motorsports (example:monster trucks) and concerts, where it seats up to 15,000. In the winter time, right around the Christmas Holiday, Fifth Third Ballpark hosts a spectacular display of Christmas lights.
The ballpark is also notable for its Fifth Third Burger, a 5-pound, 4,800-calorie burger made with five 1/3-pound burger patties and topped with American cheese, nacho cheese sauce, chili, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips, all stuffed inside an 8-inch sesame seed bun. On the Season 2
"Baseball Special" episode of The Travel Channel's Man v. Food
, host Adam Richman
participated in a challenge in which he had to eat this burger in under the final 2 1/2 innings of the Whitecaps game (that is, after the Seventh Inning Stretch). Adam won the challenge on behalf of "man", earning him a commemorative "Call 911" t-shirt and his photo posted on the Wall of Fame. As of the time of the July 2009 taping, 1,213 Fifth Third Burgers had been sold with Richman becoming just the 157th person to earn the T-shirt.
On September 29, 2007, Grand Valley State University
defeated Wayne State University
41-10 in the first-ever football game to be played at Fifth Third Ballpark. Grand Valley wore "Throwback" uniforms
for the event.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located in Comstock Park
Comstock Park, Michigan
Comstock Park is a prosperous suburban community in the northern part of Metropolitan Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, that comprises parts of three neighboring townships:* Plainfield Township* Alpine Township* Algoma Township...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, just north of Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. Fifth Third Ballpark is home to the West Michigan Whitecaps
West Michigan Whitecaps
The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home games are played in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids.-Franchise history:...
, a professional minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team, and class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
. Fifth Third Ballpark was originally built in 1994 as Old Kent Park. The name was changed when Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank is a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the principal subsidiary of holding company Fifth Third Bancorp ....
purchased Old Kent Bank in 2000.
Fifth Third Ballpark has been expanded in 1995, 1996, and 1998. It currently has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 11,123, including 8,823 fixed chairback seats.
The stadium was built entirely with private funds. No taxpayer dollars were used in the construction.
In addition to baseball, Fifth Third Ballpark can also be used for other events including motorsports (example:monster trucks) and concerts, where it seats up to 15,000. In the winter time, right around the Christmas Holiday, Fifth Third Ballpark hosts a spectacular display of Christmas lights.
The ballpark is also notable for its Fifth Third Burger, a 5-pound, 4,800-calorie burger made with five 1/3-pound burger patties and topped with American cheese, nacho cheese sauce, chili, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips, all stuffed inside an 8-inch sesame seed bun. On the Season 2
Man v. Food (season 2)
The second season of Man v. Food, an American food reality television series hosted by Adam Richman on the Travel Channel, premiered on August 5, 2009. First-run episodes of the series aired in the United States on the Travel Channel on Wednesdays at 10:00 PM Eastern time. Man v. Food was executive...
"Baseball Special" episode of The Travel Channel's Man v. Food
Man v. Food
Man v. Food is an American food reality television series. It premiered on December 3, 2008, on the Travel Channel. The program is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman explores the "big food" offerings of a different American city before facing off against a...
, host Adam Richman
Adam Richman (actor)
Adam Richman is an American actor and television personality. He was the host of the Travel Channel's eating challenge program Man v. Food and is currently hosting Man v. Food Nation.-Early life and education:...
participated in a challenge in which he had to eat this burger in under the final 2 1/2 innings of the Whitecaps game (that is, after the Seventh Inning Stretch). Adam won the challenge on behalf of "man", earning him a commemorative "Call 911" t-shirt and his photo posted on the Wall of Fame. As of the time of the July 2009 taping, 1,213 Fifth Third Burgers had been sold with Richman becoming just the 157th person to earn the T-shirt.
On September 29, 2007, Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
defeated Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
41-10 in the first-ever football game to be played at Fifth Third Ballpark. Grand Valley wore "Throwback" uniforms
Throwback uniform
Throwback uniforms and jerseys are one-time or limited-time variations on a sports team's uniforms styled to resemble uniforms from that team's past. They have proven popular in all major pro and college sports in the USA, not only with fans, but with the teams' marketing and merchandising...
for the event.