It’s A Whole New Ballgame During COVID

“Take me out to the ballgame. Take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts or Cracker Jack. I don’t care, just wear a damn mask.” - Take Me Out to The Ballgame (lyrics updated)

Thursday, March 12, 2020 was supposed to be an easy day at work. I had cleared my schedule of any meetings earlier in the week and I had stayed late in the office earlier in the week to make sure I was all caught up on various little projects and tasks. The reason for this was because I was going to head out of town later that day with a half dozen friends for a few days. Our destination was Phoenix and the purpose of the trip was to take in several spring training games. Well, the night before, the NBA paused its season due to COVID and life as we knew it would be paused as well. There would be no road trip that week and March 12 ended up being one of the most frustrating and exhausting days of my career as hundreds of events were cancelled or postponed throughout the 12 venues I oversee the ticket operations for. Little did I know that exactly one year later, no indoor events would take place at any of those venues.

Fast forward to February of this year, it was announced that all ballparks hosting Spring Training in Arizona would be allowing fans for the 2021 season. Not fans confined to their cars watching from the parking lot, not cardboard cutout fans, not virtual fans on a video screen… like, actual real fans inside the stadium.

Lamenting our misfortune from last year, a (smaller) group of us decided to make the trek from East Germany California to Arizona and catch a few games. Of course, professional curiosity got the best of me and I spent way too much time observing the operations of the two ballparks we went to. Lucky for you, I took some notes and decided to share what I experienced.

March 4, 2021: Camelback Ranch – Glendale, AZ. Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

• Normal capacity is 13,000 – reduced to 2,400 due to COVID including SRO on the berm areas beyond the outfield wall. All seating was reserved and sold in pods of 2-4-6.

• The berm areas have painted boxes on the grass and section/row markers, effectively making them reserved standing room areas.

• Masks are required except when actively eating or drinking. There are no restrictions as to where the eating and drinking can take place, though I did notice the drink rails were taped off throughout the ballpark

• Masks were required be secured with a band that went around the ear and covered both the nose and mouth. No other face coverings were allowed, including neck gaiters (my usual choice) or bandanas. From what I could see, they did not offer masks to those entering, but I can’t confirm if that was the case.

• Ushers were holding “face mask required” signage to passively remind fans throughout the game. This rule was also enforced from what I saw. There was a couple siting in front of me who forgot to put their masks back on once they were done eating and within 5-10 minutes, an usher walked down to their seats and politely reminded them of the policy.

• Parking was free but adult beverages certainly weren’t. $16 drinks? Baseball is back baby!

• No cash was accepted at the box office, merchandise stands or concession stands. I did not see any “reverse ATMs”. Also, there was no smartphone app available for fans to order items from, everything had to be in person.

• Not all of the entry gates or concession stands throughout the ballpark were open but with the capacity limit set at only 18%, there were never any lines to speak of. All the bathrooms were open.

• No bags allowed (exemptions for medical and diaper bags)

March 5, 2021: Goodyear Ballpark – Goodyear, AZ. Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati Reds

• First of all, I was tremendously disappointed that despite being in Goodyear Ballpark, in Goodyear, AZ, I didn’t see a single Goodyear Blimp. The view was pretty solid though.

• Normal capacity is 10,311 – reduced to 2,268 due to COVID including SRO on the berm areas beyond the outfield wall. All seating was reserved and sold in pods of 2-4-6.

• As was the case at Camelback Ranch, the berm areas had painted boxes on the grass and section/row markers.

• There were 4-top high-boy tables that could be reserved along the concourse.

• Face coverings had to be worn at all times when not actively eating or drinking and there were no specific rules as to what constitutes a face covering. I wore a neck gaiter as opposed to a face mask.

• Ingress was interesting. The ticket scanners were in makeshift booths located in front of the security checkpoint.

• All points of sale were cash only. There was a mobile ordering system available, however there was no in-seat service. You had to go get your food.

• You were not allowed to eat or drink anywhere in the ballpark except in your assigned seat. This, along with the face covering rule, was enforced by the ushers. I took a sip of my beverage while waiting for a member of my party to come out of the bathroom and I was approached and asked (nicely) to head back to my seat.

• Parking was free though I heard a few fans gripe about how there was no golf cart shuttles this season.

All-in-all, I enjoyed my time at the two games. It was nice to be at a couple of somewhat normal events again. Based on what I experienced, here are a few bits of advice:

1.) Don’t implement different COVID rules from what is allowed in your state or local jurisdiction. I understand the reasons why you may be tempted to do that, but you run the risk of creating anger and confusion amongst your fans. The mask vs. face covering at Camelback Ranch was a curveball for me. Fortunately, I had one of those ubiquitous light blue, disposable masks in my car that I could use.

2.) Try to avoid unnecessary “hygiene theatrics”. Again, you will run the risk of pissing people off at a time when its especially important not to piss people off. What do I mean? Don’t block off toilets and sinks in the bathrooms, it could create lines inside the bathrooms which completely defeats the purpose. Another example, if your venue is not fully equipped for contactless and/or mobile ordering, drop the “no cash” policies.

3.) Since crowd sizes are going to be very limited for the near future, game presentation is important. I found that both games I went to would be very boring if I wasn’t a baseball fan. There was no atmosphere, there were no giveaways, there were no dance cams, etc. Just because we all must wear a mask and sit in our little seating pods, doesn’t mean the games can’t be fun, right?

Have you been to a live sporting event during the pandemic? What was your experience like? Hit me up on twitter @garrettnolan and let me know.