Today we're looking at the top ten major league ballparks that dovetail with the cities they represent and reflect the values of urbanism. As usual, this isn't just a top ten list -- it's about the journey to get there! To evaluate stadia, your intrepid host: - Reviews the history of baseball as the iconic sport of the United States, its origins as a city game, and how the national pastime came of age in the pre-automobile era, which had massive influence on how ballparks were designed and located - Attempts to define "urbanism," a term that's taken on a particular meaning in the last decade or so, but which has a bit of a slippery definition -- and then uses a proposed definition as the basis for this top ten list's criteria. This video was released on MLB Opening Day 2022, AKA the last day you feel optimistic about your team's prospects if you're any kind of actual baseball fan. Cheers! Other CityNerd Videos referenced: - Top Cities for Ferry Transit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUaNGCY6JZo - Top NFL Stadium Transit Connections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iclUbbnWzog - Top NBA/NHL Arenas That Fit Their Cities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpg7atI59A0 - The 10 Most Ginormous Freeway Interchanges in the US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgH0MUaHx8 - The 10 Best Freeway Lids in the US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp0faVOdf2c Image Credits: - Tiger Stadium Image by 1848983 from Pixabay - USA Map Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay - Yale Football Team 1879 By Unknown author - Here, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82343008 - 1874 Harvard-McGill game By Unknown author - McGill Athletics, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81406366 - 1902 Minnesota-Michigan game By Benham and Allen - Scanned from the original picture, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6052598 - Sportsman's Park, St. Louis By Chicago Daily News - The Library of Congress-American Memory SDN-005703, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16168494 - Crosley Field, Cincinnati By Rob Lambert - Crosley Field, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16037752 - Forbes Field, Pittsburgh By Marc Rochkind - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77172293 - Shibe Park, Philadelphia By Bain News Service, publisher - Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ggbain-17517 (digital file from original negative), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15459777 - Riverfront Stadium, CIncinnati By Flickr user Brent NAshville - https://www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/110006713/., CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=859592 - Kingdome, Seattle By https://www.flickr.com/photos/seattlemunicipalarchives/ - Seattle Municipal Archives, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7806495 - Three Rivers Stadium By Escapedtowisconsin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4973909 - Camden Yards Image by David Mark from Pixabay - Memorial Stadium, Baltimore By Joel Dinda from Mulliken, Michigan - Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=112261215 - Suburban sprawl By David Shankbone - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3781585 - Ebbets Field By transwiki detailsFrom en.wikipedia; description page is (was) here, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1024622 - Ebbets Field postcard available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/6899587006/in/photostream/ License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ - Polo Grounds By Associated Press - AP Photo from 1921. The AP Photo sales page is at [1]. Direct source of this file: [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75040861 - Fenway Park Green Monster By Aidan Siegel - From en.wikipedia; description page is (was) here, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1155838 - Fenway Park (thumbnail) Image by Gregory Sabin from Pixabay Music: CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library) Twitter: @nerd4cities Instagram: @nerd4cities Contact: nerd4cities@gmail.com