Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels
Major League
TL;DR? Here’s the long-form piece in a nutshell:
After being enclosed to accommodate football and converted into a multiuse facility the early 1980s, Angel Stadium was the only multipurpose MLB stadium to be renovated instead of replaced during the post-1990 ballpark-building boom.
However, 1) those 1997-98 renovations that transformed Angel Stadium back to baseball-only status didn’t go far enough, with remnants of the stadium’s multipurpose existence still apparent inside and out, and 2) Angel Stadium hasn’t been properly maintained in the 20+ years since those renovations.
Angel Stadium is a quintessential suburban parking lot stadium, and that’s always cause for demerits. Outside, while new parks of the era got tasteful retro treatment, Angel Stadium got paint on concrete. The new grand entrance is more of a touched-up version of the old façade plastered with gimmicks. Inside, you can still see the shell of the multipurpose grandstand, characterized by tired, disconnected outfield stands with a poorly integrated faux rock geyser.
Aesthetically, it ranges from generic to tacky. That’s a pretty unfortunate duality.
Objectively, Angel Stadium falls short across the board compared to the post-1990 parks. The sightlines have plenty of awkward viewing angles and overhang obstructions. The concourses are generally too narrow, among other issues. The seats are quite worn. From the food and drinks to the social spaces and clubs, the amenities are poor across the board. Even compared to a Tropicana Field, Angel Stadium doesn’t have any extra frills.
It all adds up to a wholly unmemorable stadium experience that’s below average in almost every facet, even if there’s nothing startlingly inadequate like at the parks in Oakland, Tampa, and Toronto.
A dramatic mixed-use development plan has been proposed for the site, and Angel Stadium will either be renovated (again) or replaced in the not-so-distant future.
