Do We Really Love Fenway Park?
WBZ’s intrepid snow-shoveling investigative reporter Dan Robichaud took to the airwaves this morning to talk about some shocking findings.
“Our own fans ranked us twenty-first. Twenty-one out of 30. What’s going on here!?” He screeched into the camera.
It was some pretty disturbing news. Sports Illustrated polled fans of every major league ball club about how they liked their park, and Fenway Park came in at a stunning 21st place.
After all the hubbub about saving Fenway Park, do we really want to pave the nearly century-old facility under?
The home of the Boston Red Sox ranked dead last in affordability. No surprises there. But the food options at the park were ranked only “average” by 42.1 percent of those surveyed. Did these people even try a Fenway Frank?
Maybe SI only surveyed pink hat fans, because nobody we know goes to Fenway for a cheap night out, or for the comfortable seats. You go because your grandfather took you there, or because you want to get there early and wander around Pesky’s Pole and the Red Seat. If you want a cheap night out, you could always become a Royals fan.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I’m still mad they made me toss the last three sips of my iced coffee before entering on Patriots Day. The food is just decent and it costs a fortune - it might not be better taste or quality wise at other parks but you get more bang for your buck.
I love Fenway and I’m glad it’s still around but the people surveyed have a point. Though nothing would change at all if we had a new park so it is what it is.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
“Maybe SI only surveyed pink hat fans, because nobody we know goes to Fenway for a cheap night out, or for the comfortable seats.”
Maybe so, but if they’re asked to rate ticket affordability or seat comfort, are they really going to say both are above average or excellent? The survey didn’t ask fans how important any of the various things they asked about were, just a 5-point rating scale on various factors.
And yes, Fenway has tradition, and it has a fantastic team playing there. Mostly I go to Fenway because I love baseball and that is the ballpark that is here, though. I’d love Fenway a lot more if there were better sightlines and fewer seats that send you to the chiropractor the next day. (I’d love lower ticket prices, too, of course, but that’s influenced more by low supply/high demand.)
May 1st, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Fenway is a POS, small, annoying park. Build something bigger, nicer, somewhere farther away that does not cause the MBTA to screech to a halt whenever their is a game.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
//The home of the Boston Red Sox ranked dead last in affordability. No surprises there. But the food options at the park were ranked only “average” by 42.1 percent of those surveyed. Did these people even try a Fenway Frank?//
Dude. Miller parks serves cheese fries. IN A HELMET. Not to mention their vast array of sausages. I love Fenway and its Franks, but you cannot compare that to cheese fries IN A HELMET.