THE NEW TRENDSETTERS

Every MLB team wants its own version of what the Braves have with The Battery

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When Camden Yards opened in Baltimore in 1992, baseball changed forever.

Baseball architecture and ball-park aesthetic were transformed. Retro design touches were in. "Modern" multi-purpose, artificial-surface stadiums of the 1970s and '80s were out.

Camden Yards was so revolutionary that even a brand-new facility like the new Comiskey Park, which the White Sox debuted in 1991, felt outdated.

Every MLB team saw the need to create their own version of Camden Yards- and many did. In the 15 years between 1992 and 2006, a total of 14 new ballparks opened, nearly all of them with borrowed ideas from Camden Yards.

That building spree was nearly unprecedented in MLB history. In the 17 years since then, just seven MLB ballparks have been built. Only the Braves and Rangers have opened new parks in the past decade.

It's hard to find an independent economist who will agree that publicly funded stadiums drive larger revenue gains than the stadium costs themselves. Still, the sales pitch of the value of a publicly funded stadium has proved effective time and time again for baseball teams, in part because it appealed to the team's fans.

It was clear that the fan experience at a brand-new facility like Camden Yards was preferable to attending games at Veterans Stadium or Candlestick Park or Three Rivers Stadium.

As we head into the mid-2020s, what is apparent is that the opening of Truist Park in Atlanta may prove in the long run to be as significant to MLB owners as the unveiling of Camden Yards.