Citizens Bank Park: The In-Person Fan Experience

Story posted April 9, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Zach Martin

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - A 70 degree, sunny day at the ballpark is what most baseball fans have been dreaming about during the trying times of the COVID-19 era. Being a baseball fan myself, I couldn’t decline an offer to tag along on a trip to Broad Street during Wednesday’s wellness day for one of the first Phillies games with a crowd since the pandemic struck.

Following my first adventure to Cleveland last week, I couldn’t get my second live sports fix fast enough. Feeling a little more confident from my previous experience, I was beyond excited to step into the stadium, and subsequently, the new baseball season.

Pregame

Despite hitting a bit of traffic heading into the city (those from “right outside of Philly” definitely know the struggle), getting into the stadium was fairly effortless. Parking was even easier than it was in downtown Cleveland, though not nearly as cheap.

Showing up a little later than we probably should have, we rushed into the stadium without a single fan waiting in line. My friend, who happens to be a Mets fan, found it easier to walk around the concourse than he would have with a normal number of ever-chivalrous Philly fans in attendance. He even found a few of his own to share a socially-distanced air high-five with.

Some of the elevators and stairwells were blocked by unused concession stands in order to limit where the crowd was able to traverse. This made things rather difficult for us cheap fans, who had to map out the trek up to the third level of seats.

Game Time

We got to our right field seats just in time for Rhys Hoskins’ first at-bat in the bottom of the first. Unlike the game in Cleveland, there was another pair of fans joining us in our row. We were still able to kick back and put our feet up on the seats in front of us, without any fans sitting there to block our view.

As soon as our butts hit the seats, we rose to stand again before we knew it. Hoskins took second-year starter David Peterson deep to the seats a couple sections below to put the Phillies up 1-0.

The hot start didn’t end there. 2020 NL Rookie of the Year finalist Alec Bohm shot a missle over 430 feet away into the left-center bleachers, putting the home team up 4-0 before the first inning was over.

Starving from a long journey, my group made a move early in the game to find some food, but prices were through the roof from where they had been in the past. The stadium was at 25% capacity, but the concessions still seemed understaffed. Tony Luke’s cheesesteaks may as well have been 24 karat gold bars given the number of people waiting in line for them.

We wasted nearly an entire inning walking around before settling for a bucket of crab fries.

The food situation became worse later in the game when a stand ran out of hot dogs as soon as I reached the front of the line. It took another several minutes before enough were made to satisfy our salivating pack of college students.

The sun was beating down hard. Fans had removed their masks and were using them as makeshift hats pulled over their brows. Ushers didn’t even blink, seeing no reason to waste time yelling at a stingy fan base already socially distanced and outdoors.

The matchup lasted nearly four hours following 20 combined hits and seven pitching changes. The Phillies held onto their lead the entire afternoon, coming away with an 8-2 win over their division rivals.

Postgame

Come the end of the game, most fans had already exited the ballpark and we were some of the only people left in our section. It felt surreal to take in the atmosphere one last time as the sun was setting without any distractions around.

Getting out of the stadium was a long but easy walk, without needing to wait for the usual mass of belligerent fans. Though our parking spot was practically right next to the stadium at the heart of the lot, the process of leaving took under five minutes.

If Cleveland basketball was a show, Philadelphia baseball was a theatrical performance. Between the beautiful day, low fan regulation and exhilarating action on the field, it seemed there simply couldn’t have been a better outcome to a live sporting event.

While tickets are still on the less expensive side and school is still online, it’s the perfect opportunity to take in a big game. Baseball fan or not, it’s difficult to deny the bliss associated with being at the ballpark.

 

Zach Martin is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism and finance. To contact him, email him @zrm5120@gmail.com.

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