New York Times blogger Nate Silver recently ranked MLB's stadiums with the help of Yelp.com user ratings.
And there's bad news, Nats fans.
Nationals Park comes in at No. 26 on the list with a 3.63 rating out of 5.
What's worse? Fans can't completely attribute the poor rating to the performance on the field.
PNC Park, home of the notoriously bad Pittsburgh Pirates, is the top-rated park with a score of 4.77.
Beltway rival Camden Yards sits in fifth place with a 4.47.
This begs the question: Why is our relatively new ballpark rated among the worst in all of baseball?
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For one, the stadium and the team both lack history. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, for example, both rank in the top 10 and have been around for more than 90 years.
High food and drink prices, nonexistent fan enthusiasm and the lack of a symbolic trademark seem to be themes of the complaints registered on Yelp.
Many positive ratings applaud Nationals Park for its convenient location, easy access via Metro, great service from the staff and the overall cleanliness of the park.
Yelp user Eric L. had this to say:
"Convenient access by car or public transportation, bike valet, great views from any seat. Are you listening, Nate Silver?"
Maybe a few years down the road when the Nats start winning and add a few playoff games to the stadium's resume, we'll see a boost in ratings.
Until then, we'll have to settle for knowing that we at least out-rank our NL East rivals down in Miami at Sun Life Stadium.
The Top 5:
- PNC Park, Pittsburgh: 4.77 rating
- Fenway Park, Boston: 4.59
- AT&T Park, San Francisco: 4.57
- Target Field, Minneapolis: 4.53
- Camden Yards, Baltimore: 4.47
The Bottom 5:
- Rogers Centre, Toronto: 3.02
- Overstock.com Coliseum, Oakland: 3.13
- Tropicana Field, Tampa: 3.20
- Sun Life Stadium, Miami: 3.35
- Nationals Park, Washington: 3.63
