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We’ve covered the sport of baseball at few times at Business Of Sport but definitely aren’t connoisseurs of the sport. But with Opening Day next week we wanted to revisit the sport.
This season sees baseball bring in a slew of wide-ranging changes to reinvigorate a sport that is truly floundering in the face of the NFL’s dominance of the sporting landscape in the US (read more about these changes here).
But what’s it actually like to attend a baseball game, especially for a European? (also, read more here on how Major League Baseball – MLB – is trying to expand the game abroad).
As mentioned in a previous post on the Boston Bruins ice hockey experience, as a European we simply don’t get high-quality baseball games ever, so being in the city means I had to check out the Red Sox experience.
What you need to know going to your first MLB game & Red Sox game
A few things really stayed in my mind after attending a Red Sox/first MLB game.
- Fenway park is a maze: The venerable home of the Red Sox, and probably the most recognizable sports arena in America, is a bit crazy. Walkways are tiny, food and drink stands are miles away from some seating sections, this is not your modern arena with everything spaced nicely throughout the ball park.
- But Fenway is incredible & yes it does have concessions people: Yet that is its beauty. It has immense character both inside and outside the stadium (the Fenway area is quite nice). As seen in countless baseball-focused movies from the States, yes, I can confirm that a concessions person will be rumbling up the walkways offering you beers, hot dogs (of course) and a range of other things. It is kind of mind-blowing to see at first and definitely something not seen in any major European sports experiences.
- The chant “Yankees suck!” will be trotted out repeatedly (even if the Sox aren’t playing New York): ESPN’s venerable 30 for 30 podcast covered how the “Yankees Suck” phrase (and associated merchandising) great into a thing. But regardless of who they are playing, you will hear the chant break out.
- Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline will also be belted out by the crowd: A deeply divisive issue amongst boxing fans – to play Sweet Caroline or not at boxing matches – has no similar connotations at Red Sox games. The story is a famous one.In 1997, Sweet Caroline was first heard at Fenway Park, when a Red Sox employee in charge of music played the song in honor of a friend who had recently welcomed a daughter named Caroline. The song was an instant hit with the crowd and has been a staple during the bottom of the eighth inning ever since.
- Get the beers in (before the end of the seventh inning)! Make sure to get your beers in before the end of the seventh inning as the bars in Fenway shut.
- Expect to have literally no idea what a strike looks like: The rules of baseball are failr simple, but to an untrained, non-baseball fan’s eye, it can be somewhat confusing as to what a strike or walk is. You obviously can’t mistake a home run thankfully.
- Games can be LONG: With MLB trying to change the pace of the game (with some going between 3-4 hours in length), it really is needed. I’ve attended some games which really did drag on, badly. The length of baseball games really is an existential threat to the popularity of the sport. By contrast, ice hockey and basketball games never feel that long.
While not a massive baseball fan, I can safely safe attending an MLB game and, specifically a Red Sox game is something you’d never regret. It really is as American as apple pie and if they can make the game more dynamic, this will hopefully bring people back to the ballpark.
