Mesa's $116,000,000 Sloan Park Ranked #6 Cactus League Spring Training Park in USA Today

City Manager Chris Brady, in the image to the left, had "Big League" dreams hoodwinking Mesa taxpayers to finance a ballpark for a Chicago billionaire-owner of the Cubs franchise. It's used for spring training for a few weeks each year just before hundreds of thousands of "snowbirds" migrate back to their nests after giving a big boost to the local economy for six months. He claims that the "Christmas in March" spike in sales tax revenues somehow offsets the bond debt obligations and annual maintenance/operating costs but has anyone ever seen a scorecard on that data?

Nonetheless it's time to Play Ball! here in the Pre-Season Springtime Arizona Cactus League where scores have been created for all the stadiums, putting aside for now however they got  financed. 

To create a score for each spring training stadium, ReviewTrackers examined how fans felt about four aspects of their visits: the facility; family friendliness; food; and the fan experience.

The Cactus League home of the Cubs, Sloan Park, finished sixth.
While its family-friendliness was below average (perhaps due to its crowded nature, because it leads all of spring training in attendance), fans made positive comments about the barbecue, crepes and sushi from the rotating food trucks found along the outfield concourse.
Ranking Arizona spring training parks: Surprise at the top

Joe Mock, Special for USA TODAY Sports Published 3:20 p.m. ET Feb. 22, 2018 | Updated 3:22 p.m. ET Feb. 22, 2018

The emerging field of “data mining” is providing much-needed information to the manufacturers and marketers of consumer products. By using sophisticated algorithms, computers can sift through countless online comments by users of products, thereby painting a vivid picture of how consumers feel about it.

It’s only natural to apply this process to sports.

At USA TODAY’s request, ReviewTrackers conducted a study of more than 36,000 online reviews of the 23 spring training ballparks. The firm then analyzed 130,000 key words used in these reviews. They called the study “The Voice of the Fan,” and it provides a fascinating look at how baseball fans feel about the ballparks used for exhibition games.

How the 10 Arizona ballparks ranked based on the “Voice of the Fan” report:

Stadium, City, Team

1. Surprise Stadium, Surprise, Rangers, Royals
2. Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria, Mariners, Padres
3. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, Diamondbacks, Rockies
4. Hohokam Stadium, Mesa, Athletics
5. Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, Indians, Reds
6. Sloan Park, Mesa, Cubs
7. Camelback Ranch, Glendale, Dodgers, White Sox
8. Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale, Giants
9. Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix, Brewers
10. Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe, Angels

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About the reporter: Mock operates BaseballParks.com, an affiliate of USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties. He has visited all 203 parks currently used for Major League, spring training and affiliated Minor League Baseball. Follow him on Twitter @baseballparks

Source: https://www.usatoday.com