I didn’t need a survey to tell me that AT&T Park in San Francisco has the best hot dogs in Major League Baseball. I would have likely made that declaration while sitting in some less-superior stadium eating a sub-par dog, but I wouldn’t have had facts (other than my own detailed personal research) to back up that claim. Except now I do.
ReviewTrackers recently analyzed 130,000 reviews of America’s ballparks posted places like Facebook, and came up with a list of not only where you’ll find the best hot dog, but also where you can get the best beer selection, the best family and fan experience, and the best stadium overall.
Here are the results at a high level:
1. Oriole Park at Camden Yards: 1st overall and top-rated facility.
2. PNC Park: 2nd overall, top-rated stadium for families, and top-rated fan experience.
3. AT&T Park: 3rd overall, 2nd for food, and top-rated hot dog.
4. Safeco Field: 4th overall.
5. Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium: 5th overall and 2nd for family experience.
Results were come up with by using the company’s natural language algorithm to identify the sentiment in all 130,000 reviews. Each of those moments was then tied to a keyword. For instance, “hot dog.”
ReviewTrackers has the actual scores listed on its site. Because I know you want to see this hot dog data, below is a chat documenting that:
The beer info is also pretty interesting. Since the rise of craft beer, many stadiums have gotten less-than-positive reviews for the small selection of brews they have available.
Great American Ball Park took top honors thanks to its selection of local beer.
They also used big data to determine what you should order when you go to a ballpark. The top honor there goes to BBQ. That data shows that people are talking about the BBQ at the game four times more than the hot dogs. Other top picks include popcorn, sausage, and nachos.
That doesn’t mean you should rush to buy a BBQ sandwich at your next big game, but it does suggest that venturing away from the traditional peanuts and Cracker Jacks isn’t the worst idea.
That said, I actually ordered a BBQ sandwich when I went to AT&T Park a few weeks ago, and I absolutely should have gotten that hot dog.
