Thursday, June 27, 2013

On ballparks and souls



Ok, that's too deep. I don't mean to call US Cellular Field, home to the White Sox, soulless. Maybe... Cynical. Corporate. Hulking. Generally unpleasant.

It's as though the designers got the checklist for how to build a modern, neo-retro throwback stadium, and checked all the voices that would make money, while skipping the boxes for charm, for warmth, for integrating with the neighborhood.

In fairness, they destroyed Comiskey Park and turned out in to a parking lot across the street in 1991, just before the wave of retro-classic ballparks that are so much more pleasant to go to (Jacobs/Progressive, Coors, Jack Murphy/Petco.)

One of the most alienating things, aside from having some of the highest seats in baseball, is how the 100+ luxury suites are sealed off from most everything: it's one of the only stadiums in baseball that do not allow fans sitting in the upper deck to walk anywhere else in the park. Yes, luxury pods make more money, which is a major reason they destroyed Comiskey in favor of surface parking. No, it doesn't make for a good experience when you access your seats exclusively by a concrete ramp and escalators, with signage and attendants standing at every intersection to ensure the lesser classes don't dare mingle with those passing $200-$400 per ticket for luxury and exclusivity.

BTW, worst fans so far in the major leagues. Granted it was a small sample size in the nearly deserted upper decks, but their behavior made the Yankee and A's/Giants fans look like kittens frolicking on youtube.

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