The D-backs have "one of the worst home-field advantages in sports," and the silence at Chase Field "is deafening," according to Dan Bickley of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The issue "is not attendance," as the team has "never failed to exceed two million fans in any of the previous 18 seasons." It is instead about "engagement level of the audience, and it’s simply awful." Most spectators who show up at Chase Field "lack the energy or inclination to act like fanatics, thereby robbing the home team of a precious edge." The D-backs "can shoulder the blame for some of this." They are "industry leaders in wacky food items and culinary diversity on the concourse," which can "pull you from your seat, away from the game, into their kiosks and kitchens." It is "not necessarily apathy permeating the walls." However, it just "feels suffocating and inhibiting, where people are afraid of standing out, afraid of breaking the code of silence by screaming like some bloody fool." D-Backs President & CEO Derrick Hall said that the team "strongly encourages a different level of fandom inside Chase Field." He said that the team "has had to correct ushers who have fielded complaints and shut down vociferous fans in the past." Bickley noted Hall knows there can be a "different vibe" in the ballpark, but he has heard it "on only rare occasions" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/27).
DESERT DELICACIES: FS1 examined some of the food options at Chase Field, with the net's Chris Myers saying, “They’ve taken things to a whole new level.” Hall said, "We look each and every year to come up with something that is different, something that is a little bit over the top that people want to try." Chase Field Exec Chef Steve Tilder: “We want this to be a foodie place to go. Obviously, the D-backs are the fantastic team that’s down here. We want to marry that with the food” (“MLB on FS1 Pregame,” FS1, 4/26).
