Cincinnati Reds' Great American Ballpark Has Been Disrespected by National Ranking

A recent article in USA Today ranked MLB stadiums from 1-28 (omitting the two teams using minor league stadiums from the list). This article showed blatant disrespect for Great American Ballpark.

The Cincinnati Reds home ballpark was ranked 26th out of 28th. No explanation was given as to why. This list could not have been more wrong.

The stadiums that Great American was ahead of or behind, this low of a ranking is extremely ill-informed. The Reds’ ballpark boasts features that other ballparks miss.

One of the best features of GABP is that you can see the field from almost every vantage point on the lower level. Other stadiums have concourses that are separated from the field so that you must be in your seat to view the game.

The history of the Reds franchise is also a huge part of the stadium. Every part of Great American Ballpark screams “REDS!” Some ballparks forego this in favor of more retail space. Great American Ballpark has a perfect balance of team-centric exhibits, a team Hall of Fame, and retail space for both memorabilia and concessions.

The Reds home ballpark also has ample food options. They have greatly improved this over the past few seasons. You can get your ballpark staples all over the park. You can get a great burger at 50 West. You can get a great shareable food item from Fry Box, some good barbecue at the smokehouse, and of course Skyline chili. Great American also has a solid selection of beer.

The ballpark seats provide plenty of good views and photo ops. There are plenty of gates to get into and out of the park. There are lots of group spaces and suites. 

I have spoken to a diverse group of visiting fans. I have never heard a complaint. In fact, quite the contrary, most of them applaud the stadium.

I seriously have no clue what this person was thinking when they rated Great American Ballpark so low.

It is one of the top-five ballparks in the league.