What constitutes "atmosphere" in a ballpark?

[hsnterprize]

The poster, PleaseWinAWorldSeriesCubs, wrote this about U.S. Cellular Field, and why he doesn't like to attend games there...

From all the times I've been there, and I've been there 20+ times, I never really felt a good atmosphere when watching a game. The stadium itself seems so bland but when I'm there and watching the game, I just can't find myself interested in whats going on. The only real reason I find myself going now is to either see the Cubs, Red Sox, or Yankees play the Sox. The only other reason is to test out my speed at the pitching thing.

And while I appreciated (and somewhat expected the criticism since many Cubs fans in Chicago don't like the Cell because it's not like Wrigley Field) his honestly, that got me thinking...what makes "atmosphere" when you go to a big league baseball game? Is it the excitement of the fans before the first pitch? Is it the weather and/or the scenery? Is it a combination of those attributes? Is "atmosphere" at a ballgame overrated, or is it a vital part of enjoying what's going on on the field? Has "atmosphere" always been a part of baseball's venacular, or is this relatively new? These are questions I'd like for y'all to think and write about in this thread.

What excites you when you go to a game? Your favorite hitter stepping up to the plate? How about when your home team pitcher has a full count in a tight situation? Does the smell of food cooking at a concession stand make you feel glad you were at the game? Can the sound of thousands of total strangers cheering or booing an ump's call rile you up? Talk about it, and talk about how such attributes and more come into play at your favorite ballpark.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Watching the up and coming young players and all star veterans, a good pitching matchup or a key rivalry.

The energy of the crowd is important. Sometimes it gets annoying when casual fans say stupid things, but there's nothing worse than a snob who complains about other fans lack of knowledge.

I love ballparks that are near bars and restaurants so there's something to do before you are allowed to watch batting practice. This is also a lot of fun on weekend nights.

A nice view behind the outfield. Mountains or skyscrapers add to the overall atmosphere.

I don't have kids so I don't really care for the interactive areas.

I actually like that batters on the home team have personalized music before they hit. I still like to hear organ music when I'm at the park.

[Jim Vaz]

For me it combines a part of the product on the field and the surroundings.
Take for instance Yankee Stadium.
I'm a die hard Mets fan who pretty much dislikes anything Yankee, however I find watching a game there as one of the most exciting and tense I've evere been to. I don't know if its the cathedral type dimensions of the stands, the train you can see just passing by in that little sliver of open space in right field, the rowdy fans in the bleachures, but I just find it an intense place to watch a game and the atmosphere of the fans and how close you seem to be is almost perfect. Its far from a perfect Stadium, it has its many flaws, but when in your seat and watching a game I find the atmosphere second to none.

I'm going to be honest, I've been to Camden Yards, been to other places and I just dont get that same feeling. CY is a BEAUTIFUL park don't get me wrong. You have so much to choose from, its a joy for the eye. Maybe its just the lousy team, but I just never got that same feel that I did from Yankee Stadium, heck even Shea Stadium. You almost felt too comfortable.

Thats why when they talk about more spacious venues, thats great for the ever increasing size of Americans these days, but there is nothing like being arm to arm and leg to leg with other fans in a tight setting.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Thats why when they talk about more spacious venues, thats great for the ever increasing size of Americans these days, but there is nothing like being arm to arm and leg to leg with other fans in a tight setting.

Except for in the summer when it's almost 100 degrees and humid at the ballpark.

[Jim Vaz]

Except for in the summer when it's almost 100 degrees and humid at the ballpark.

Thats true. Of course on those nights I'm comfortably home on my couch in the air condition! :laugh

[PeteU]

I actually like that batters on the home team have personalized music before they hit. I still like to hear organ music when I'm at the park.

I like the personalized music, too. I know it goes against the "purist" point of view, but it helps build a connection to the ballplayers when you hear their song as they stroll to bat. I remember during the 2003 Marlins World Series run when I felt as though I was watching at least one game a week, I got to know all the Marlins' theme songs by heart. And just by the song, I knew when Juan Pierre or Derrick Lee or Ivan Rodriguez or Alex Gonzalez was coming to bat, so it created a lot of excitement i.e, "Uh-oh, look who's coming up!"

As for organ music, meh. I can take it or leave it. I said it on another thread, if I really wanted to hear good organ music, I'd go to a church, not a ballpark.

[Lafferty Daniel]

I like the personalized music, too. I know it goes against the "purist" point of view, but it helps build a connection to the ballplayers when you hear their song as they stroll to bat. I remember during the 2003 Marlins World Series run when I felt as though I was watching at least one game a week, I got to know all the Marlins' theme songs by heart. And just by the song, I knew when Juan Pierre or Derrick Lee or Ivan Rodriguez or Alex Gonzalez was coming to bat, so it created a lot of excitement i.e, "Uh-oh, look who's coming up!"

As for organ music, meh. I can take it or leave it. I said it on another thread, if I really wanted to hear good organ music, I'd go to a church, not a ballpark.

Juan Pierre has to be the only player in baseball with a true personalized song before he hits. It's a Jay-Z rap, he says something about stealing bases like Juan Pierre.

[Sean O]

Juan Pierre has to be the only player in baseball with a true personalized song before he hits. It's a Jay-Z rap, he says something about stealing bases like Juan Pierre.

Satellite Radio by Dilated Peoples:

"#%@$ the minors, this here's the major leagues
Where more chicks call you "Papi" than Dave Ortiz"

[Lafferty Daniel]

Satellite Radio by Dilated Peoples:

"#%@$ the minors, this here's the major leagues
Where more chicks call you "Papi" than Dave Ortiz"

Haha, nice, does Ortiz use this before he bats?

[PeteU]

Juan Pierre has to be the only player in baseball with a true personalized song before he hits. It's a Jay-Z rap, he says something about stealing bases like Juan Pierre.

Cool--I thought I had heard about Juan being name-dropped in a Jay-Z song.

Back when he was with Florida, Juan had some hip-hop song called "We Ready." Now, far from me to be a fan of gansta-rap or an expert in that field of music. But I do have to admit it did do a good job of reaving up the crowd in 2003 whenever he came to bat.

After 2003, when Juan started to be recognized as a big name outfielder, that's where I think he got the Jay-Z reference.

[soxnut67]

I find organ music to be an incredbile postive to ballpark atmosphere. I love Nancy Faust at Comiskey and I wish she would decide to do more that just day games.

[deadcenter~440]

I like the personalized music, too. I know it goes against the "purist" point of view, but it helps build a connection to the ballplayers when you hear their song as they stroll to bat.

As for organ music, meh. I can take it or leave it. I said it on another thread, if I really wanted to hear good organ music, I'd go to a church, not a ballpark.

Oh man, I'm only 31, but that post makes me feel very old. Give me the organ music, the guys yelling hot dogs and ice cold beer and the natural sound of baseball every day over the loud obnoxious PA system blaring some no talent a@@ clown into the crowd.

There I've said it, I'm a purist.

[Stray Cat]

One game comes to mind, the A's versus the Red Sox, Pedro on the mound, I think it was 2000.
After tailgaiting in the Coliseum parking lot and tossing a ball around the group of people I was with were half Red Sox, half A's fans so the debate started over how long Pedro would pitch.
Our seats were by first base, so we got a good look at Pedro warming up before
the opening. Terence Long starts the A's inning off with a home run. Everyone is in awe. Don't know what happened to Terence Long after he went to the Royals.
The atmosphere that night was cool. Can't remember who won, doesn't matter.
Good times. :gt

[marlins739]

A lot of the atmosphere at a park has to do with the fans. One place that sticks out in my mind especially is the SkyDome crowd, they were really quiet and polite about everything. It wasn't a particularly small crowd, but it made the entire place feel really sophisticated and it kinda fit in with the high-tech, modern feel of the stadium. The roof was closed at the game I went to on Easter Sunday in 2001 (you would not believe how easy it is to find easter eggs on Astroturf, there were thousands of kids out there and the eggs were gone in 5 minutes), which was the first game after a few panels fell from the roof, which almost cancelled the game and forced the roof to be closed), but I liked the place a lot.

[Seattle1]

"What constitutes "atmosphere" in a ballpark?"

Air molecules! :hyper:

[hsnterprize]

The energy of the crowd is important. Sometimes it gets annoying when casual fans say stupid things, but there's nothing worse than a snob who complains about other fans lack of knowledge.

Sounds good so far, but elaborate a little bit on that "...other fans lack of knowledge." thing.

I love ballparks that are near bars and restaurants so there's something to do before you are allowed to watch batting practice. This is also a lot of fun on weekend nights.

A nice view behind the outfield. Mountains or skyscrapers add to the overall atmosphere.

You did say you love Wrigleyville, so I guess this is understandable. If you ever decide to go to a White Sox game, check out the Bullpen Sports Bar underneath the right field seats. Not to mention, there are plenty of places within the surrounding neighborhood you can hang out in. They're just not across the street.

I don't have kids so I don't really care for the interactive areas.

I have 3...when you have kids, you'll be glad your favorite ballpark has something for the kids to do...especially when they're small. Little kids get fidgety, and they generally don't like to sit in a seat for a 9 inning game like older kids and adults do.

I actually like that batters on the home team have personalized music before they hit. I still like to hear organ music when I'm at the park.

You'd LOVE Nancy Faust, the organist at the Cell. She's very good at coming up with personalized organ music for just about every batter during a game. She only plays at day games, though.

[hsnterprize]

U.S. Cellular Field and Miller Park in Milwaukee are GREAT places for fans to tailgate before games. The comraderie is so neat when you're talking with other fans. Even those who are cheering for the other team tend to get into the spirit of having a blast in the parking lots at both places before the first pitch.

[EdTarbusz]

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I have 3...when you have kids, you'll be glad your favorite ballpark has something for the kids to do...especially when they're small. Little kids get fidgety, and they generally don't like to sit in a seat for a 9 inning game like older kids and adults do.



]

This is the best reason for leaving small kids at home when you go to the ballpark.

[EdTarbusz]

[FONT="Arial"][COLOR="Red"]

Sounds good so far, but elaborate a little bit on that "...other fans lack of knowledge." thing.

]

Like laughing at fans you scream at the 'ref' or call for the 'coach' to make a pitching change or cheering when your player crosses home 'base' to score a 'point'. Or laughing at people who boo a pick-off throw.

[PeteU]

Like laughing at fans you scream at the 'ref' or call for the 'coach' to make a pitching change or cheering when your player crosses home 'base' to score a 'point'. Or laughing at people who boo a pick-off throw.

What's with the booing of the pickoff throw? I know people get impatient wanting to pitch to the batter, but come on folks....It's not like baseball is a clock sport....

I also get amusement out of fans who cry balk when the pitcher does the fake to third, throw to first. Although that move rarely works anyways.

[sds416]

I'm going to go back to the words of a supreme court justice to try to underscore my thoughts...he said "I can't define pornography but I know it when I see it".

I feel the same way about atmosphere at ballparks...I can't tell you what defines it, but I know it when I feel it. And for whatever reason, for me at least, no matter how hard they try with new stadiums styled after older ball parks, nothing will ever replace a truly ancient stadium to me. Old Tiger Stadium, Fenway, Yankee Stadium, old Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, Silver Stadium in Rochester, McArthur Stadium in Syracuse, the original Dwyer Field in Batavia (NY-P league), et al.

Some of you might classify them as dumps, bandboxes, dinasours, etc. but you set 1 foot in those places and you could feel "baseball". You felt the history, the passion of old time baseball, you were closer to the action, you really felt like you were part of something that was pure magic. A lot of the modern stadiums just don't have that feel to them. They feel alot more like movie theaters to me than ball parks. You feel removed from the game, not part of it.

[CrisgoMets]

Alot of the old parks were simple. There were no upper decks or luxury boxes at MacArther Stadium. Had trains going by during the National Anthem and even planes flying overhead of the old Mac too. (STILL CAN SEE THIS) I remember seeing a game there as a kid at the old Mac. You were close to the game and truely felt a part of it by being only on one level. My lil Sis used to yell at the pitcher and go, "HES STEALING" and she found that to be funny and she remembers the pitchers would look at her funny. It was as close to the action and the focus is on the field, not the luxury boxes or other things that most parks try to have to separate themselves from others or try to play to the affluent fans and not the die hards.

[marlins739]

. It was as close to the action and the focus is on the field, not the luxury boxes or other things that most parks try to have to separate themselves from others or try to play to the affluent fans and not the die hards.

One thing I think they do well in the newer parks is not keeping the bleachers and the high priced seats completely separate. In most of the older parks a bleacher ticket doesn't let you get in to any other area of the park, and at all of the newer parks (except the Cell) pretty much any ticket lets you wander around anywhere, except the suites and club seats. It's easier to 'upgrade' your seats in new parks now, when in the older parks if you had a bleacher ticket you were stuck there

[Padday]

Quite a lot of what makes a good atmosphere is completely arbitrary. I've been to soccer matches between frankly terrible teams in sheds of stadiums with rain bucketing out of the heavensand and had better times than at highly skilled affairs with great excitement. I think it comes down to the fans. If your surrounded by diehard fans who would do anything for their team then you know their going to be the ones getting the party started.

I kind of think that in a lot of cases stadiums in the major leagues are too personal. They're all about comfort, as if anybody goes to a game thinking "I hope the seats aren't too hard," and if they are then I will personally kick them. Give me a sweaty, cramped terrace over a luxury suite any day. The worst part, though, is that they try to create an artificial atmosphere using cheap gimmicks.

Well that's my rant done with.

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

Atmosphere to me comes down to the traditional sounds of baseball. Being in an old stadium steeped in the history of the game helps alot, but it isn't really necessary. I would love if they didn't blast music (ususally bad 'popular' music) during any downtime in the game, but they do. That ruins the atmosphere for me a little.

The main thing though, is fans. Skydome itself isn't known for it's personal atmosphere. But with a packed house of screaming fans, and ballpark gains instant 'atmosphere'. Maybe the reason that Tampa, Florida, RFK and other stadiums get knocked is simply because there is never a packed house there to make it seem exciting...

[PeteU]

I agree, atmosphere in a ballpark is a very fluid concept, and it's not based solely on the ballpark itself. To wit:

Dolphin Stadium with 67,000 screaming, towel-waving fans in October = Incredible, out of this world, unbelievable atmosphere (I know--I've been there).

Dolphin Stadium with 10,000 fans for a weekday game against the Brewers in April = Not a lot of atmosphere (I've also been there)

I'd say the atmosphere at Fenway or Wrigley before the mid to late 1980s when either of those parks became "hip" places to watch a baseball game was a lot less than it is today.

So I would probably say the atmosphere for any park would ebb and flow depending on the circumstances.

PNC Park is a beautiful ballpark, possibly the best in the game. But on days where it has less than 20,000 fans in the stands, can it be characterized as having a great atmosphere? I don't really know.

[sapblatt]

"What constitutes "atmosphere" in a ballpark?"



Your team winning in the bottom of the ninth - that provides all the atmosphere you will ever need! :blush: :baseball:

[marlins739]

I'm sure even Olympic Stadium, which everyone loved to pick on for not having any feeling of atmosphere, would have been rocking with a real sellout crowd (not like 36,331 at Dolphin Stadium, which is an official sellout). If the Red Sox were in last place and the Rays were in first, the Trop would be getting much better press. Fenway would still have its classic feeling to fall back on, but with half the seats empty I'm sure it wouldn't have that overwhelming sense of baseball history people like to talk about, if the Red Sox were on the bottom of that stupid AL East standings board in left. It's the fans that make the atmosphere, not so much the park

[TJH1923]

Fans make the atmosphere. Throw in an important game or a game that develops into history (ex. a no hitter) and it becomes electric.