Ancient Rome

The coliseum (or stadium) was a place where the games were held. There were many coliseums in the Roman Empire. The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheatre was the name of a huge sports stadium located in center city ancient Rome. The Flavian Amphitheatre could seat 45,000 people and had room for another 30,000 people in the standing section. Gladiator fights were held there, but other contests were also held, even naval battles. Admission was free! The Colosseum

Most gladiator matches were not to the death. People wanted their favorites to come back and fight another day. Some men chose to become gladiators and went to gladiator school. Others were slaves, forced into the sport.  Roman Gladiators