?At Least You Can Go Swimming?: Why Was Arizona Diamondbacks? Chase Field Labeled as the Worst MLB Stadium?

Having a pleasant air-conditioned environment is not the only criterion for a good baseball stadium. Interestingly, even a great atmosphere cannot save ballparks from fan fury. At least the Arizona Diamondbacks? home ground has been showing that for a few years already. This stadium used to be acknowledged as one of the most recognizable MLB team homes. But things turned south after a few years as the arena eventually made its place among the worst in the league.

The Diamondbacks have been playing in Chase Field from the very beginning of their MLB journey. Just before the D-backs debuted in 1998, the team unveiled their home stadium. However, in 2018, a report slammed it as the 4 worst baseball stadium, and it never really recovered its lost glory after that.

Chase Field History and Building Structure

The Diamondbacks are one of the newest MLB teams, so their ballpark is also comparatively new. The construction began in November 1995 and almost three years later, the stadium officially hosted games. Initially called Bank One Ballpark, Chase Field was officially christened in 2005.

Due to the extreme summer weather in Phoenix, a regular open-air ballpark was out of the question. Solving that issue, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ park became the first ever park to have a retractable roof and a natural grass field. It of course made things easier for the audience as no matter the temperature outside, they could easily step inside to enjoy the game without bothering about the sweltering conditions.

But in 2018, a synthetic grass turf made for baseball replaced the natural grass field.?The decision originated from the fact that growing and shaping natural grass was becoming more challenging. The club thought it would give the team more ease in playing and the audience to enjoy the game more in a closed environment.

Another attractive part of the stadium was its swimming pool. The D-backs home ground is the only baseball stadium in the world to have a waterhole. It is located behind the right field fence and comes with a hot tub next to it. Fans have even praised the food quality that Chase Field serves. But even with these features, the stadium still can?t save itself from ranking as one of the worst.

Reports Give a Negative View of the Chase Field

In 2018, Forbes did a survey of baseball stadiums, according to which the Snakes’ field ranked 27 out of 30. Despite their retractable roof, the management missed air conditioning. The clearly irked Forbes reporter stated, ?Chase Field, which, while a retractable roof was mandatory in sweltering Phoenix, feels more like an airplane hangar inside.?

Later in 2023, the AZ Central did a voting poll to see what the MLB enthusiasts feel about Chase Field. Not surprisingly, the result was quite the same. 60% of the voters listed the stadium as one of the six worst baseball stadiums. Around 19% of people ranked it between 17-24. Finally, less than 7% of fans rank the stadium among the top 8 baseball fields.

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Before the 2023 season began, USA TODAY’s For the Win did another polling and re-ranking of the stadiums. Yet again, the Arizona Diamondbacks stadium was 27 among 30 ballparks. Some that rank below D-Backs home ground are Tropicana Field (Rays), Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox), and Ring Central Coliseum (Athletics).

Major Reasons Behind Arizona Diamondbacks Having the Worst Ballpark

Reporter Andrew Joseph claimed that the standoff situation between the Diamondbacks and Maricopa County may be responsible for its poor state. He reported, ?The roof is no longer safe to open when fans are present (they think the cables could snap and injure people). The air-conditioning system hardly works now, so when the roof is closed, the stadium is a sauna. Random panels on the already-dated video board are damaged, so you?re stuck staring at a reminder that the stadium is falling apart.?

Another reporter, Tim Kelly, wrote that the stadium always has a dark atmosphere when the roof is shut. He also found the dead-center end not having seats or grass strange. The one positive, or perhaps sarcastic take, was ?at least you can go swimming during Diamondbacks home games.”

Yet another negative point of the stadium is its seats. Section 16, Row 41, seat 2 has the lowest visibility, with most of the field view and video board portion blocked. From that seat, one can only see a corner of the end zone. Fans have even sent warnings on social media to beware of the seat.

Despite all these negative things, Chase Field is going to host three World Series games this season at the end of October and the beginning of November. Might this inspire change at the iconic venue?

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