Diamonds Aren't Forever
An exploration into the recent past and uncertain future of Chase Field
By: Steve Ingalls
The Arizona Diamondbacks moved into their brand new stadium in 1998 for their inaugural season and have played their home games at Chase Field ever since. Since opening, the stadium has hosted legendary concerts, a World Series walk-off and college football.
All of these events helped to repay the near $350 million price tag on the stadium and garner huge returns on the investment of baseball in the desert by Diamondbacks founding owner, Jerry Colangelo. However, the returns are starting to shrink, and the Maricopa County Stadium district is left owning a now deteriorating baseball stadium with an expiring mortgage.
A study conducted by the Chicago Tribune concluded in 2016 that the average lifespan of an MLB stadium is 31 years. The Diamondbacks entered into a 30 year mortgage agreement with the Maricopa County Stadium District in 1998 that will ultimately expire after the 2027 season, of which there have been no announcements of an extension. The reason being for this is a stadium upkeep and funding issue.
The root of the problem is that Chase Field is a publicly owned ballpark with its governing body being the aforementioned Maricopa County Stadium District. Every year Maricopa County publishes the financial reports on the stadium, and every year since 2014, the total asset value of Chase Field has dropped by an average of 3.7%. The largest single year drop in total asset value was between 2017 and 2018, in which the total asset value of the stadium dropped by 8.1%.
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In 2016, there was a measure on the ballots of Arizona voters which called for $65 million in public funds to be made available for repairs and upkeep of Chase Field. The measure failed and an intense legal battle followed, culminating with the Diamondbacks suing the Maricopa County Stadium District for $185 million in total repairs and for the ability to break their lease with Maricopa County.
Chase Field's new turf from the 3rd deck. Photo by: Steve Ingalls
The two sides made a deal in 2018 which provided the Diamondbacks with the opportunity to look for new sites for a stadium penalty free until 2022, after which point they would receive an increasing scale of fines each year closer to the end of the original lease.
Upon ratifying the deal, the Diamondbacks were given $35 million for stadium repairs for stadium necessities such as; a new scoreboard, new air conditioning, sound system and lighting. Potentially larger than this, the team was given control over future stadium bookings. This allowed the Diamondbacks to keep the revenue from their non-baseball events which could then be rolled into further repairs.
A direct result of this agreement was the Diamondbacks changing their playing surface from grass to artificial turf in 2019. According to Diamondbacks employee Joshua Doak, real grass is difficult to keep alive in the desert summers and limited the team on which events could be held at Chase Field during or around baseball season.
On March 9, 2019, Billy Joel held a concert on the new Chase Field artificial turf just a month before the start of the season and netted a total of $4.8 million in revenue to be split between him and the Diamondbacks.
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Former Arizona governor Doug Ducey signed HB2835 into law in 2021 which approved a 9% tax on all goods sold at Chase Field to help underwrite a $500 million improvement plan from the Diamondbacks to improve Chase Field and the surrounding area. The catch to this is that the team holds responsibility for $100 million upfront to set the plan in motion.
Chase Field before the 2023 WBC game between the USA and Canada Photo by: Steve Ingalls
This however has not deterred the team from making large improvements to the stadium. In 2023 the Diamondbacks completed a multi year renovation of their lighting system, and fully updated Chase Field to run completely on LED bulbs. With this came an overhaul of the existing electrical system at Chase Field.
Vice President of Stadium Operations for the Diamondbacks, Mike Rock, said that the new lights save on electrical costs, and that the team will reap the profits of that within only a few years. LEDs also allow for the team to put on colored light shows for the fans, as 10% of the new overhead stadium lighting features fully customizable colored bulbs.
Chase Field's exterior outside gates A-E. Photo by: Steve Ingalls
The new electrical system put in place to support the lighting meant that the antiquated sound system at Chase Field also needed to be replaced. The last time Chase Field had its sound upgraded, the team was only able to do 25% of total ballpark speakers and equipment. Now, post World Series run, Chase Field is geared up with the most up to date and modern lighting and sound possible for the upcoming seasons.
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When asked about the condition of Chase Field going forward. Diamondbacks team employee Dallas Ligon said, "I would say it's suitable, considering that it's 25 years old. But renovations do need to be done." The next few months are crucial for baseball in Phoenix, and a decision on the home of the Diamondbacks seems to be imminent.
The Chase Field ticket offices outside Gate E. Photo by: Steve Ingalls