More Than Baseball: The Joyful Hangouts at Tropicana Field
By Carter Brantley
Riverview, FL
Tropicana Field looks like a nuclear power plant. Baseball's not meant to be played in a dome. There are so many stupid ground rules with the catwalk. I've heard all of the insults with this weird lovely stadium that I've been to more times than I'd care to admit. And yet, despite the location that can take up to two hours from my parents' house or an hour from my current residence, I had so many joyful experiences at that stadium.
There were birthday get-togethers, or just going with a pal to catch up, or going with family. It was all a celebration of existence: bringing people together to witness some silly, meaningless baseball game, one of 81 played in that stadium every year. The baseball was great, don't get me wrong, but it was more about the hang, more about having a place to come together and have a shared experience. There were a lot of obnoxious northerners from Boston and New York that made it a bit annoying and unpleasant, but there were also the fun games with teams you rarely got to see, and that brought out the fun fans who were just so happy to get to see their team.
So, yeah, the Trop wasn't the best ballpark in baseball. It might've been the worst. But that rush of 72-degree air conditioning always made me feel like I was where I was supposed to be.
About Carter Brantley
I host a podcast at RBLR about the Bucs and sometimes host a Rays show, and I write for Rays Colored Glasses!