phoenix is a miserable sports town yet they have been able to keep steve nash. san antonio doesn’t even register in any other sport and yet tim duncan has made his home there as did david robinson.

the previous commenter makes a great point about the areas around dome/phillips and turner field. they are miserable with nothing to do.

But the real shame is not the park so much as what surrounds it. Namely, nothing except the world’s scariest package store. And naturally, when a game is over, what does everyone do? They pile into their cars, wait the forty minutes necessary to exit the colossal parking lot, and then hightail it back out to the ‘burbs.

Compare this with Fenway. Yes, it’s small and cramped and half the seats are obstructed or face the wrong way. But it’s a fun place to be — you feel like you’re at the world series even when it’s the Royals in April. When you leave the park, you’re in an actual, bona fide neighborhood with bars, restaurants, and other human beings. Moreover, there are other neighborhoods within easy walking distance. And trains, in case you want to head out a bit farther. No parking lots, other than the garage across the street. Just people, on foot, in big, rowdy crowds.

Fun, in a word.