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| - Recapping my recent trip to Spring Training in Arizona, I mentioned to a non-baseball fan that my tickets to Sloan Park were $34 apiece. The non-baseball fan had no idea how to interpret this remark so I broke it down for her:
For a game that means absolutely nothing, $34 (not even the highest priced seat) seems like a bit of a gouge.
That said:
* the Cubs did win the World Series recently;
* this is a very nice new stadium;
* they play the Cubs theme song at the end of the game (next best thing to being at Wrigley); and
* the developers installed an iconic sign inside, beside which everyone will want to snap their obligatory "I was there" photo.
Having visited three different ballparks* during 2018 Spring Training I can report that Sloan Park was the newest and nicest, with the best food offerings. Also, how can you beat "Mark the Beer Guy" singing his off-key version of "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch?
Sloan Park was the only stadium that seemed to care where I sat, so if your intention is to buy cheap seats and sit in more expensive seats, it may be more difficult to do so here than in some of the older ballparks. That said, seats can certainly be had here for a lot less than I paid.
The Cubs have built a very nice, intimate stadium here and they seem to have incorporated experiences that make for a fun afternoon. The whole thing comes at a cost (additional $10 to park) but at least it feels like someone cares and someone tried and in the end, their prices weren't too far off of those charged at lesser ballparks.
The game may not have counted for anything, but Sloan park makes for a nice user experience.
* Also attended Hohokam Stadium (Oakland A's) and Maryville Baseball Park (Milwaukee Brewers).
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