AutoZone Park
Memphis, TN

When Commissioner Selig was talking about contraction in baseball, as there weren't enough good markets to support the sport, fans in Memphis, Tennessee were quitely smiling and shaking their heads.

Many wonder why the Expos, now Nationals, are slugging it out with the Orioles for attention when Memphis is a major league town when it comes to supporting baseball.

The Memphis Redbirds put up big-league attendance numbers. AutoZone Park has drawn huge crowds since its opening in 2000.  In 2004, the club was, once again, one of only two teams in the Minors to average over 10,000 fans a game. 

It is the top-selling park in all of minor league baseball. Part of this is due to the community hook: The Redbirds are owned by a non-profit that holds it for a community that loves the game.

“I love AutoZone Park for its overall atmosphere,” says broadcaster Doug Greenwald.  “The ballpark has grassy berms in the outfield, old-style architecture and it combines a little of (Cleveland’s) Jacobs Field with a St. Louis-like feel.  And the famous clubs and restaurants of Beale Street are close by.”

To keep the attendance so strong, the team now offers ten-game ticket plans and new attractions for kids in the “Boardwalk” game area.

Greenwald adds that he loves that “during the seventh-inning stretch, the organist plays the Budweiser jingle just like they do in St. Louis.” 

 

Last Year's Ranking: NR

Select A Top Ten 2005 Ballpark Top of Story 1. FirstEnergy Stadium, Reading PA 2. Dell Diamond, Round Rock, TX 3. SBC Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma 4. Isotopes Park, Albuquerque, NM 5. Campbell's Field, Camden, NJ 6. The Epicenter, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 7. Dr. Pepper/Seven Up Ballpark, Frisco, TX 8. KeySpan Park, Brooklyn, NY 9. AutoZone Park, Memphis, TN 10. Fifth Third Field - Dayton, OH