Calling Boston’s Fenway Park a Top-5 Stadium is Laughable

'Tis the season for peanuts and crackerjacks. Yes, baseball is finally back, and stadiums across the country are just weeks away from filling with fans. It's also the time of year when all the articles start dropping about what stadiums are the best.

The folks over at Sports Illustrated did this very thing. The periodical took aim at the 30 stadiums and decided to rank every single one based on the author Dan Gartland's opinion.

I must say, the opinion is a good one. I agree with much of the list, including the top spot being PNC Park in Pittsburgh. That is an incredible ballpark. I have been fortunate enough to see a handful of games there. It's quite a special place.

But we aren't here to discuss PNC Park. We are here to talk about the overrated disaster that can be found in the heart of Boston.

I'm sure you're all wondering where our beloved Fenway Park is. For some reason, Gartland has Fenway ranked 3rd. This is he had to say about it.

It’s impossible not to feel the history of Fenway Park when sitting in a seat there. Looking out at the iconic green outfield wall you remember moments like Bucky Dent’s 1978 home run or David Ortiz’s game-tying grand slam in the 2013 ALCS. But at the same time, the stadium isn’t dated. The Red Sox have done a great job of modernizing it while retaining its historic charm.

Hahaha, what? Doesn't feel dated? I'm convinced this guy has never been to Fenway.

To say Fenway Park is the 3rd best ballpark in America is laughable. Is it a great landmark? Sure. There's over 100 years of history. It's practically a museum. But who on Earth wants to hang out in a really uncomfortable museum for four hours?

For baseball, Fenway is just okay.

Let me break down why, but only try and keep it in the writer's theme of sticking with the actual ballpark and surroundings. Here we go...

Parking: Horrendous. If you decide to build a stadium in the city, you will get the negative feedback of failing to understand evolution of humanity. Parking is awful. There's nothing more brutal than parking in a different town to take a train in.

Gates: They are too tight, too few, and strangely not in alphabetical order. It makes zero sense.

Concourse: Tragically bad. Do you enjoy feeling like a sardine? Well, Fenway is for you. My favorite feature is when you are walking and there's just a section of seats that blocks your way to the next part of the park. Just a swell design.

Seats: Hahahaha (deep breath) hahahahaha. Unless you are paying hundreds of dollars for a prime seat, you are going to need to see a physical therapist by the 7th inning. They are amazingly uncomfortable seats. I'm pretty sure some of them are still from the 1920s. On top of that, there are basically ZERO seats that actually line up correctly with the field. It's quite astonishing.

Obstructed View: It's 2024, and you can still buy a seat at Fenway where you have to watch the game on a monitor. "It's all part of the experience!" Not for $80 a pop, buddy.

Bathrooms: Listen, they could be worse. I'll give them that.

Field Dimensions: You know what, I dig them. The Green Monster is wonderful. Unique centerfield, short right field pole. I fully admit that the field dimensions are outstanding. Easily the best part of this park.

Now, if we were to include amenities and concessions, then this would really turn into a bloodbath. However, that would not be in the spirit of the originally ranking.

Stadiums That Are Better

Here are stadiums I have been to that are better than Fenway:

PNC Park - Pirates (Easily the best park)
Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Orioles (The most influential "new" park)
New Yankees Stadium - Yankees (It's giant, like the city)
Wrigley Field - Cubs (Many of the same issues as Fenway, but much more fun crowd)

Here are stadiums I haven't been to, but after extensive research, I'm confident they're better than Fenway.

Citi Field - Mets (Looks tremendous on television)
Dodger Stadium - Dodgers (Looks even better on television)
Kaufman Stadium - Royals (It has a sweet waterfall)
Oracle Park - Giants (Can't beat the views)
Coors Field - Rockies (Party deck central)
Petco Park - Padres (Perfect weather + modern stadium)
American Family Field - Brewers (Retractable roof with a slide for the mascot)
T-Mobile Park - Mariners (Incredible views, location and a retractable roof)
Truist Park - Braves (The team seems to have finally got it right with this intimate spot)

By the way, the worst stadium I have ever been to is Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. What a waste of money that was.

After compiling these, it seems I would have Fenway right around the middle of the pack. I think that's a fair spot. It's clearly not the worst. However, there's no true reason it should be close to the top.

What this really comes down to is that Fenway's a dinosaur. It will always have a unique history, but also has limitations and should be extinct.

Red Sox fans deserve better amenities, comfort, and accessibility. Heck, you could even use the same dimensions at a new park, and bring the Green Monster, too. However, until that happens, the only folks who will continue to truly enjoy Fenway are Boston's area physical therapists.