By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
SAN DIEGO, California — It’s 20 minutes before Petco Park opens here in downtown San Diego and the baseball party is percolating outside the bricked Western Metal Supply Co. building beyond the leftfield wall.
Fans have also gathered at the Tony Gwynn Terrace behind a small grassy, sloping area beyond the centerfield wall. It’s a Saturday 5:40 PM game between the hometown Padres and the visiting Minnesota Twins and all the fans wearing Padres brown and mustard yellow jerseys are stirring for what is a baseball celebration of fun inside this venue with 39,860 fixed seats that held a record 47,773 fans for a 2024 playoff game thanks to open standing room space.
This old warehouse district location is a legit economic success story not too far from the waterfront and close to hotels, the airport and three trolley lines.
Petco Park features a profound inside-outside feel because of San Diego’s gorgeous 80-degree weather today — a fresh air, blue sky vibe that is very different from what will be the indoor space of the domed Athletics stadium being built at the old Tropicana hotel site on the Strip. The A’s installed the second of five steel trusses at the $2 billion stadium. The venue will hold 30,000 fixed sets and space for 3,000 standing fans at the 33,000-person ballyard at Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Blvd.
But the A’s execs cam learn a lot from Petco Park on several fronts: the way the stadium pieces together and locates its many points of sale for food and merch; the multi-transportation modes that allows Padres fans to arrive here via different methods; and the joyous home field celebration of community and sport that is obviously missing at Raiders games where half the fans are rooting for the visiting team.
Las Vegas’ two major league venues — T-Mobile Arena and Allegiant Stadium — offer game environments that include Las Vegas club feels, from the Golden Knights’ club music scene right before the third period to the clubs inside the Raiders-run NFL stadium. Sports teams naturally include hometown themes, so the Vegas club vibe is no surprise in the VGK and Raiders venues.
At Petco Park, the Padres highlight the San Diego region’s craft beers, with a concourse featuring a row of beer stands. Behind home plate the Padres have the Blue Shield Home Plate Club for a VIP fan experience. The A’s will be rolling out its Athletic and Diamond Club, the top shelf experience being sold by the A’s.
Southern Nevada and Clark County are helping subsidize the construction of the Raiders and A’s stadiums, which are both domed facilities. When you see the Padres outdoor stadium, it’s hard not to feel a little envious of the outdoor weather experience when both the Raiders and A’s play/will play inside roofed sports buildings.
The outdoor experience in sports is an element of the Raiders’ proposed $158 million
The A’ will have a glass wall beyond the outfield fences so fans can see the Strip.
Here’s the look of indoor baseball vs outdoor baseball.
The A’s hope development partner Bally’s, which owned the former Tropicana hotel, will build a plaza and entertainment district on the 35-acre site to lead fans from the Strip to the ballpark. There will also be a parking garage on the site. RTC runs buses for $4 roundtrip to Golden Knights and Raiders games and one would expect that service to be provided for A’s games on the Strip.
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