Trip Across America

Kauffman Stadium is without question an underrated ballpark. Built as a baseball-only facility in 1973, the ballpark was a contrarian project, completed in an era dominated by multi-sport monstrosities. 50 years later Kauffman Stadium is still standing, while only a few multi-sport stadiums have evaded the wrecking ball. There are select areas where the stadium shows its age, but those flaws are minor, especially in the context of an overall excellent gameday experience.

Most of the seating is located between the foul poles, and there’s not a bad seat in the house. As you might expect, a lot of the food options are barbecue. I’m admittedly not a huge barbecue fan, so I’m not the best person to judge, but everything I tried was excellent. A lot of people will criticize the suburban location, as the stadium is located several miles outside of downtown, but I personally like this aspect of Kauffman Stadium. It’s very easy to get to and parking is a breeze. The ballpark has a distinct Midwestern feel. Simple and lacking flash, but it gets the job done.

Some might complain about the lack of modern amenities inside the ballpark, but I’ll go the other way and say it’s a plus. The design of modern stadiums is dictated by economics, shameless money grabs, built to lure in people who aren’t baseball fans. Kauffman Stadium doesn’t fall victim to any such nonsense. The ballpark almost has the feel of a really big minor league stadium. An intimate gameday experience, and lacking the distractions common to newer stadiums.

This also results in better crowd demographics, mainly a mix of diehard fans and young families. Notably absent were the baseball tourists. The people who come to a ballgame as an excuse to order round after round of overpriced beers, and who by the 7th inning have lost all ability to use discretion. Inevitably the surrounding youngsters end up with a new vocabulary of 4 letter words. There was none of that in Kansas City. Of course some of that could be due to the Midwest location, but I’ve been to Chiefs games across the parking lot, where 17th century pirates would fit right in. Without any contradicting evidence I’ll credit the ballpark for achieving this outcome.

Now for the rankings update. This one was difficult, as Kauffman Stadium doesn’t have a really good comp among current MLB ballparks. In terms of gameday and viewing experience, Kauffman feels most similar to Dodger Stadium, but it lacks the same level of intangibles. The Royals have certainly had their moments, but they lack the sustained success and depth of historical moments that make Dodger Stadium special. In an alternate history where Kansas City was a consistent power in the American League, building a resume of classic postseason moments, Kauffman Stadium might be a top 5 ballpark.

But that’s not the world we live in, and Kansas City doesn’t have quite enough to join the list of classic stadiums. I ended up slotting Kauffman Stadium in at number 5, between Petco Park and Angel Stadium. It’s hard to say for sure, but I think Kansas City could still be in the top 10 by the time I’ve visited all 30 ballparks. If not top 10 then certainly top 15. A very respectable ranking for a 50 year old ballpark, which most baseball fans can’t tell you anything about. For anyone looking ahead, I’m heading back towards Texas, so the Rangers and Astros are up next.

MLB Ballpark Rankings

1. Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
2. T-Mobile Park – Seattle, WA
3. Oracle Park – San Francisco, CA
4. Petco Park – San Diego, CA
5. Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City, MO
6. Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
7. Chase Field – Phoenix, AZ

29. Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL

30. Oakland Coliseum – Oakland, CA