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The Problem with New Ball Parks
Let's talk about these new ball parks.
Near everyone is in agreement that Fenway and Wrigley are the coolest places to watch a game. This is because of their history and the atmosphere of their stadium's design.
In the early 90's, stadium designers figured this out and started to design new stadiums like old ones. But when you go to these new/old stadiums, you just don't get the same atmosphere as you do at Fenway or Wrigley. Why?
I think there are a number of reasons for this, but the main reason is a failure of designers to truly commit to an old park's character. Designers want old park atmosphere but then ruin that atmosphere with new modern amenities...like huge jumbotrons and electric scoreboards.
Here are some things a new ball park should try to incorporate in its design to gain character and distinction:
1. The outfield should have nooks and crannies distinct to it.
Fenway has that weird center field nook that makes it stand out. The opposite of this design is all those horrible cookie-cutter stadium designs from the 70's where the outfield was just one big semi-circle.
2. Your outfield wall should have differences in height.
Again, Fenway is the champ here. The Green Monster is huge at nearly 40 ft., then the center field fence is nearly half as high, and lastly that great short fence that runs to the Pesky pole in right. Visually, this is distinct and lends to more character. Sadly, most new stadium designs have one size fence or they try to incorporate their own "monster" but only build it to 20 ft. If you want a "monster" wall, then commit to it. There is no shame in copying the the original's height....just put it in center or right.
3. The angle of your outfield wall at the foul poles should be distint.
The more unique this angle or curvature is the more difficult it is to play a ball in the corner. There is nothing more exciting in baseball than a triple or inside the park homer and this will lend to those plays. Again, Fenway has this in its right field corner, where a misplayed ball can get past the right fielder and end up in center field.
4. The upper deck should be as close as possible to the field.
The upper deck in the old Tigers Stadium actually hung over the field in the outfield. You could lean over and look down on the fielders. If you want your new park to feel intimate, then get the crowd as close to the field as possible, and nothing is cooler or more intimate (and intimidating to the visiting team) than a crowd looking down on them. Stadium designs should get away from that huge bowl feel and start building up again. The older stadiums did this better because they used pillars to hold up their upper decks and new designs have shied away from this because they don't want obstructed view seats on the lower level. This is mistake. Nothing screams older park more than pillars and a really vertical upper deck that's close to the field. I would think in this day and age, engineers could come up with some way to marry this effect without using pillars. Maybe decrease the number of seats in the lower deck?
5. Players should be able to hit the ball out of the park.
There are few things cooler than hitting a baseball all the way out of the park. This gives Wrigley Field a lot of its character. You can hit the ball out of the park and into the neighborhood. In San Fran, it's into the bay...but I think into a real neighborhood is so much cooler. At Fenway, you can go over the Monster but the ball doesn't go anywhere of interest. Which leads to the next need for a stadium....
6. Your stadium's location is critical to its character.
Too many stadiums are surrounded by huge parking lots and located in the middle of nowhere. Nothing kills character more than this. And a perfect example of this is Shea Stadium in Queens. If you absolutely have to have a lot of parking near your stadium, why not put it underground and out of sight? Wrigley has so much character because of its location. It is right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. The El is close by so a lot of people can get to the park but there are no ugly parking lots to kill the atmosphere. The new Mets Ball Park is doomed from the start because of its location. This is a mistake. Why do designers not understand this? Too many new stadiums are built on the site of their old parking lots and then the new parking lot is put up where the old stadium was. This is just laziness on the part of the designers. By putting new stadiums into intimate neighborhoods or downtown or near rivers etc., you add character to your stadium. Then fill the surrounding area with bars and restaurants for the fans to enjoy. And work with public transportation to get away from those ugly parking lots.
7. Very little foul territory.
You want the fans close to the field and the action, so this should be an obvious design solution.
8. Bleachers rule.
Stadiums with a lot of character, have a special place for their real characters...and that's the bleacher section. Again, Wrigley is the perfect example of this. The best place to watch a game at Wrigley is from the bleachers. Aside from the distinct cast of characters bleachers attract, if you make the bleacher section of your stadium small and intimate, this will also add character and atmosphere to the ball park. The left field bleachers at Wrigley only have a few rows of seats, and there is nothing cooler than watching a home run go over your head and out on to Waveland from that section.
9. Something different is nearly always better.
The new Comiskey (or whatever they're calling it this year) has a field level patio in right field where fans can watch the game from directly behind the outfield wall. Behind the patio (underneath the stands) is the stadium's bar, which is also a great place to hang out with fans. I don't know if putting a swimming pool beyond your outfield fence or adding fountains or a rock formation adds that much character to your park, but an outdoor bar or patio area with great views of the field definitely helps.
10. Less is more.
An intimate stadium is always a better place to watch a game than a huge coliseum. It's not a coincidence that Wrigley and Fenway are the smallest parks in baseball. New parks should aim for a 40,000 seat capacity and put all those "necessary" corporate suites on the roof. Most of those "fans" don't come to watch the game anyway.
I think these few suggestions are a good start to getting better stadiums in baseball. Can anyone thing of more?
Near everyone is in agreement that Fenway and Wrigley are the coolest places to watch a game. This is because of their history and the atmosphere of their stadium's design.
In the early 90's, stadium designers figured this out and started to design new stadiums like old ones. But when you go to these new/old stadiums, you just don't get the same atmosphere as you do at Fenway or Wrigley. Why?
I think there are a number of reasons for this, but the main reason is a failure of designers to truly commit to an old park's character. Designers want old park atmosphere but then ruin that atmosphere with new modern amenities...like huge jumbotrons and electric scoreboards.
Here are some things a new ball park should try to incorporate in its design to gain character and distinction:
1. The outfield should have nooks and crannies distinct to it.
Fenway has that weird center field nook that makes it stand out. The opposite of this design is all those horrible cookie-cutter stadium designs from the 70's where the outfield was just one big semi-circle.
2. Your outfield wall should have differences in height.
Again, Fenway is the champ here. The Green Monster is huge at nearly 40 ft., then the center field fence is nearly half as high, and lastly that great short fence that runs to the Pesky pole in right. Visually, this is distinct and lends to more character. Sadly, most new stadium designs have one size fence or they try to incorporate their own "monster" but only build it to 20 ft. If you want a "monster" wall, then commit to it. There is no shame in copying the the original's height....just put it in center or right.
3. The angle of your outfield wall at the foul poles should be distint.
The more unique this angle or curvature is the more difficult it is to play a ball in the corner. There is nothing more exciting in baseball than a triple or inside the park homer and this will lend to those plays. Again, Fenway has this in its right field corner, where a misplayed ball can get past the right fielder and end up in center field.
4. The upper deck should be as close as possible to the field.
The upper deck in the old Tigers Stadium actually hung over the field in the outfield. You could lean over and look down on the fielders. If you want your new park to feel intimate, then get the crowd as close to the field as possible, and nothing is cooler or more intimate (and intimidating to the visiting team) than a crowd looking down on them. Stadium designs should get away from that huge bowl feel and start building up again. The older stadiums did this better because they used pillars to hold up their upper decks and new designs have shied away from this because they don't want obstructed view seats on the lower level. This is mistake. Nothing screams older park more than pillars and a really vertical upper deck that's close to the field. I would think in this day and age, engineers could come up with some way to marry this effect without using pillars. Maybe decrease the number of seats in the lower deck?
5. Players should be able to hit the ball out of the park.
There are few things cooler than hitting a baseball all the way out of the park. This gives Wrigley Field a lot of its character. You can hit the ball out of the park and into the neighborhood. In San Fran, it's into the bay...but I think into a real neighborhood is so much cooler. At Fenway, you can go over the Monster but the ball doesn't go anywhere of interest. Which leads to the next need for a stadium....
6. Your stadium's location is critical to its character.
Too many stadiums are surrounded by huge parking lots and located in the middle of nowhere. Nothing kills character more than this. And a perfect example of this is Shea Stadium in Queens. If you absolutely have to have a lot of parking near your stadium, why not put it underground and out of sight? Wrigley has so much character because of its location. It is right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. The El is close by so a lot of people can get to the park but there are no ugly parking lots to kill the atmosphere. The new Mets Ball Park is doomed from the start because of its location. This is a mistake. Why do designers not understand this? Too many new stadiums are built on the site of their old parking lots and then the new parking lot is put up where the old stadium was. This is just laziness on the part of the designers. By putting new stadiums into intimate neighborhoods or downtown or near rivers etc., you add character to your stadium. Then fill the surrounding area with bars and restaurants for the fans to enjoy. And work with public transportation to get away from those ugly parking lots.
7. Very little foul territory.
You want the fans close to the field and the action, so this should be an obvious design solution.
8. Bleachers rule.
Stadiums with a lot of character, have a special place for their real characters...and that's the bleacher section. Again, Wrigley is the perfect example of this. The best place to watch a game at Wrigley is from the bleachers. Aside from the distinct cast of characters bleachers attract, if you make the bleacher section of your stadium small and intimate, this will also add character and atmosphere to the ball park. The left field bleachers at Wrigley only have a few rows of seats, and there is nothing cooler than watching a home run go over your head and out on to Waveland from that section.
9. Something different is nearly always better.
The new Comiskey (or whatever they're calling it this year) has a field level patio in right field where fans can watch the game from directly behind the outfield wall. Behind the patio (underneath the stands) is the stadium's bar, which is also a great place to hang out with fans. I don't know if putting a swimming pool beyond your outfield fence or adding fountains or a rock formation adds that much character to your park, but an outdoor bar or patio area with great views of the field definitely helps.
10. Less is more.
An intimate stadium is always a better place to watch a game than a huge coliseum. It's not a coincidence that Wrigley and Fenway are the smallest parks in baseball. New parks should aim for a 40,000 seat capacity and put all those "necessary" corporate suites on the roof. Most of those "fans" don't come to watch the game anyway.
I think these few suggestions are a good start to getting better stadiums in baseball. Can anyone thing of more?
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