Not Another Domed Stadium
The news out of Oakland is terrible. I’m still gathering my thoughts on that whole mess. Right now they’re still pretty raw and jumbled. This clip pretty much sums it up: That's a Real Pickle.
The second worst thing about this move is that Major League Baseball will again be replacing an open-air, grass ballpark with a sterile, air-conditioned dome. We can get into whether Las Vegas is a good long-term home for Major League Baseball later, and whether using tourist visits in your financial planning model is a sound idea for a baseball team. But baseball does not win by putting more baseball games under a roof.
Turn on a day game at any of the five California stadiums and it immediately hits you that the golden California sunshine isn’t just a marketing tagline, it’s real. Something about this particular range of longitudes from 118 to 124 degrees west of the Meridian produces the best lighting.
The sunshine is the best in Oakland, in late September when the angle is just right to really make those greens and golds pop against the brilliant home white uniforms of the A’s. The stadium is an eyesore, but the visuals on the lush green turf are not. Look at these pics of the gorgeous California stadiums in day games:
And now, let’s look at the covered parks. Right now, the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Astros, Marlins, Brewers and Rays play a majority of their home games under a roof. Even with advancements in lighting, it’s still the worst version of baseball one can find.
And the worst modern example. Look how awful day baseball at the Rangers new Globe Life Field looks compared to Globe Life Park (the Ballpark in Arlington):
Baseball started out on goat pastures and city parks. As it grew in popularity, the teams started erecting cathedrals to the game, with ornate architecture and built so well some are still in use today. Then came the Cookie Cutter Era. Cities crammed baseball and football teams together into giant concrete donuts and slapped some carpet down and called it a day. The nineties and early 2000’s brought a Renaissance in ballpark construction, with all the modern classics like Pacific Bell SBC AT&T Oracle Park, Great American Ballpark, Camden Yards and PNC Park.
I’d say the last decade has been disappointing. Teams are moving indoors or they’re building stadiums that feature all kinds of bells and whistles while ignoring the product on the field. Under the guise of “fan comfort”. Anyone who lives in these cities is well aware of how to endure the conditions, be it the heat, humidity, cold or precipitation. We can handle adversity. Portable fans, ice cream, ponchos, blankets. We’re very innovative as a species.
Two of those new buildings brought teams into sheltered confines with all the personality of a litter box. The Marlins and Rangers took shelter from the elements and went indoors.
The Marlins shared Joe Robbie Pro Player Landshark Dolphins Stadium with the Miami Dolphins from 1993 to 2011. In 2012 they opened up Marlins loanDepot Park. There was an initial bump in attendance in 2012 when they matched the new digs with some splashy free agent signings and an outspoken manager.
But the new stadium, which averaged about 22,000/game its first 5 seasons now is at levels they never had even in the heat and humidity of the Miami summers at the outdoor stadium. That park that no one goes to will ultimately cost the public population of south Florida $2,400,000,000. You can’t tell me a new ballpark will bring revenue and fans. Winning and competence does that.
Now let’s look at the Rangers. The Ballpark in Arlington opened in 1994, the same year as the World Series-canceling strike. In 1995, when the national attitude towards MLB was largely negative, they averaged 27,500 fans. The entire 26-season run outdoors, they averaged 32,014 per game in the sweltering Texas heat. They had 16 seasons drawing at least 2.5 million fans and two that broke the 3 million mark. The first two years of Globe Life Park? They’re averaging around 25,000 and the first two seasons barely broke 2 million through the gates. 2022 was even worse than 2021, when the start to the season still had some Covid-related concerns that kept fans home.
The team threw out a perfectly fine outdoor stadium and spent $1,200,000,000 (with $500,000,000 in city bonds to help) for this… Brinkman Grill?
What about a team that went from a dome to the open air? The Minnesota Twins left the Metrodome in 2012 and their numbers have not suffered at all because of the perceived weather concerns. I would bet Minnesotans would much rather spend a July afternoon outdoors than under the big hefty bag that covered the old barn.
So there is my stance. Baseball is meant for blue skies and green grass. Infields of clay and chalk lines. The only thing artificial between the lines should be some of the players. This is probably a losing battle. Analysts prefer the way that indoor stadiums control variables to get a better idea. Teams prefer the certainty of reliable conditions and not dealing with rainouts and lengthy weather delays. Fans show up regardless. But nobody ever went into a domed stadium and said “What a place to play baseball”. Now we’re increasing that number by one. And everyone is worse off for it.