Last weekend I was fortunate enough to travel to Chicago to attend the Saturday and Sunday games at Wrigley Field between the surging Chicago Cubs and the 1st place Washington Nationals. In addition to seeing Jake Arrieta verses Bryce Harper in-person, it was my first trip ever to visit the hallowed grounds of Wrigley Field.
In the midst of knocking this off my baseball “bucket list”, I decided to revisit a recurring column on this site, Scouting A Baseball Stadium. Rather than using the traditional five scouting tools, I have broken down evaluating a stadium into five categories, namely Accessibility, Aesthetics, Affordability, Concessions and Fan Experience.
Accessibility 3 Out Of 4 Radar Guns
This is the biggest weakness of Wrigley Field, as its location within a neighborhood gives it less parking than the new stadiums built in the past generation. That said, the train stops right at the park and there are dozens of individuals offering parking in nearby businesses or private residences. Additionally, most fans seemed to arrive hours before the game to enjoy the festivities around the park, helping the potential congestion issues as well.
Aesthetics 3.75 Out Of 4 Radar Guns
There is a scene in the movie Rudy, when the father first sees Notre Dame’s football stadium and says “This is the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen” – I must admit to immediately thinking of this quote when I arrived at my seat and looked at the picturesque setting in front of me.
Wrigley’s location inside a neighborhood affords a nostalgic charm and the stadium has seen renovations in recent years giving it the look of an old park without the negatives of an old park. The ivy on the outfield walls is unique and beautiful, the scoreboards are excellent, plus the views are generally unimpeded and spectacular. Bottom line, this is the most beautiful professional stadium I have attended.
Affordability 3.25 Out Of 4 Radar Guns
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Chicago is a pricey city and the success of the Cubs has made tickets more popular than in previous seasons, but Wrigley Field seems to charge normal “big-league” prices for their tickets and concessions. I went on Stubhub and bought tickets behind the plate for slightly above face value, a fair price for good seats to a weekend game. There were plenty of people selling tickets outside the park and the number of rooftop bleachers outside Wrigley allows for a healthy supply of available seating.
The beer and food prices seemed slightly higher than other major league stadiums I have attended in recent years, although they give you impressive portions for your money. While not a strength of Wrigley, I felt the prices were reasonable all things considered.
Concessions 3.5 Out Of 4 Radar Guns
In terms of beer, one better be a big fan of Anheuser-Busch products Budweiser, Bud Light and Goose Island (a local former microbrew), as vendors are loaded with only these three choices. According to Cubs regulars, there are quality craft beer options available, but one must specifically seek them out. That said the number of vendors, beer and otherwise, in the stands was impressive and made it that fans never needed to leave their seat during the game. The recent renovations made the concourses easy to walk and there are plenty of concession stands throughout the stadium. The food options were a bit pricey and I did not notice a great deal of “novelty foods” popular at many stadiums, but this is nit-picking an otherwise solid effort by the Cubs’ organization.
Fan Experience 4 Out Of 4 Radar Guns
This is easily the strength of Wrigley Field, as the atmosphere is the most fun I have ever experienced for a regular season game. From the number of bars and restaurants surrounding the stadium allowing the fans to properly “tailgate”, to the history of a stadium 100 years old, plus the tradition of singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” at the 7th inning stretch, attending a game at Wrigley Field is something to treasure.
Overall 17.5 Out Of 20 Radar Guns -> A
I come away from my trip to with nothing but positive things to say after watching a weekend of baseball at Wrigley Field. It has the charm of an old park, yet the amenities of most modern major league stadiums. The fans are knowledgeable and generally know they are spending the day at a truly special place. Wrigley is easily my favorite major league stadium I have ever attended and I cannot recommend strongly enough every baseball fan make at least one trip to these hallowed grounds.
Great write up on the ‘Friendly Confines’. I took my son (10) to his first game last year and took pictures as we came up the tunnel to the field. I did this so when he gets older and truly appreciates it more, he will have those images of the first time he saw Wrigley.
My first time was in ’77 and it still takes my breath away when I get the chance to go.