Building a better ballpark - a balance of then and now
Pre-screening inside the Reds Hall of Fame
We had a great screening of Boys of Summer: Second Base at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame last night. Though we won’t get to the actual Reds ballpark to see agame again until Tuesday night (we were there in 2004 during our cross country trip), I can say the Great American Ballpark section in downtown Cincinnati is a model the A’s should look toward as they consider what the potential new home for the green and gold will look and feel like.
A ballpark is not just a ballpark - it’s an experience. Now, more than ever, smart leadership understands it’s not enough to have brick, mortar and baseball. A stadium and its surrounding area, done right, can be the heart of a city that brings tremendous civic pride and be a massive economic engine.
Rick Walls, the Executive Director of the Reds Hall of Fame, was bubbling with information at every turn during our tour. From the deep history of Crosley Field to the heyday of the Big Red Machine - which they argue was the team of the 70’s over Charlie O’s A’s, despite having one less World Series title - the museum highlights the pride and past of the Red Stockings, who became the Reds, who, in fear of the rise of Communism in the 1950’s, became the Red Legs again, before falling back to the Reds again post McCarthy. Baseball’s marketing advantage is in highlighting its history in a fresh, interactive way that fits into the city’s culture.
we agree to disagree...
One great example the Reds have is in Tony Perez’s epic home run in game seven of the 1975 World Series. They not only have a statue of Perez on a heavily trafficked arterial street outside the stadium, they also have a baseball hanging from a nearby building on the same trajectory of the ball that Tony hit to deliver the Reds their title. It’s a hardwired and accessible stop, stare and take a photo moment for the passerby, hardcore Red fan and traveling baseball aficionado.
After our screening, during the Q&A, we had a Reds fan ask us about what we thought of Great American Ballpark. My dad answered honestly: "It was ok". In fairness, when we went to all 30 back in 2004, we were motoring from park to park at a clip of about 350 miles a day over our two month tour, so we didn’t necessarily get the best of any park - unless the club, itself, gave us the explicit opportunity to see it that way. As I look back, I’m incredibly humbled that so many teams gave us the access they did. For whatever reason, the Reds did not. Our experience at Great American wasn’t bad - it was, as my dad said, okay.
We get asked a lot about which ones are the best. There are a lot of sites dedicated to ranking which stadiums are the best. They’re all subjective and, therefore, legitimate in the eyes that those that offer them. Modern stadiums have to walk a delicate balance of being there for the game and being able to entertain people who have a lot of choices and may not be big baseball fans. Food and drink options and quality are a great way of reeling people in - we experienced that in a huge way at Petco last year. Places for the kids to get up and stretch their legs mean a lot, too. My daughter is obsessed with Stomper, which makes her excited to go to the games, so I’m happy for that big goofy elephant no matter what anyone says.
Talking to Dad this morning, the quick short list of ballparks that still resonate from our 2004 trip include:
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Fenway
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PNC
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Wrigley
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Coors
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AT&T
They all had the same great community feeling - the ballpark starts before you get to the ballpark. You’re excited about the game well before you enter the gates. The surrounding areas are electric and they feel like a party for all to enjoy from multiple angles. In short, you’ve won just by showing up. And if your team happens to win that day, it goes down as one of your favorite days ever.
I’m excited for the future of the A’s in Oakland, largely because I’m fully behind Dave Kaval. His energy and enthusiasm are genuine. I’m also an unabashed optimist. I know there are plenty of questions to be answered, permits to be acquired, and hearts to be won over. I believe in order to achieve anything great, there must be a foundation faith, hope and ultimately, community involvement. That’s how we’ve built Boys of Summer to this point and how we continue to grow.
Let’s go Oak-Land!
Dad & Dave play catch in front of Great American Ballpark