There are a lot of construction and cleaning crews at Guaranteed Rate Field getting the stadium ready for Opening Day on Thursday, April 4th. The new stadium features are aimed to provide all fans a better experience at the ballpark. They are ranging from a new place to hang out at Goose Island, to families needing a place to nurse newborns and those with sensory sensitivity.
New Feature: Goose Island
Taking over Section 107, the new Goose Island sponsored by course Goose Island Brewery in Chicago will quickly be the place for VIPs and group parties to hang out.
For those that want to enjoy the full experience of Goose Island will want to sit in the first three rows. For $100 per seat, fans get a $20 food and beverage credit, full waitstaff, a 32″ inch TV, very comfortable leather seat, and sit almost at eye level of the field.
There is a power station at every seat to plug in your smartphone or tablet. The TV’s will only have the White Sox broadcast to start. In the future, there are plans to having other games available. Why would you want to watch another baseball game while at a baseball game? With baseball becoming more friendly with the idea of sports betting, this could be an opportunity where White Sox fans can enjoy the full stadium experience and while keeping tabs on how their bets are going. There is a sports book feel to this area. For the $100 price point, it’s for fans wanting a VIP experience.
Behind the three rows are the same seats without the TV’s, and those will go for $60 each seat with a $20 food and beverage credit.
Then there is the water feature. I do not doubt that some fans are going to be ejected from games acting like it’s a water slide. It’ll serve as a barrier from Section 108, and the White Sox will have an official turn on the spout at 9 AM CT on April 4th.
If you can do without the fancy leather chairs and waitstaff, for $25 a seat, you can still experience Goose Island in high top chairs and outlets to plug your electronic devices. I found the view to be quite good and could imagine going with a group of friends and family on a Summer night enjoying the area. There is a standing room only area which is $15 by the L Train Car.
Yes, the bar looks like the train cars we see in Chicago. A very nice touch which adds to the environment. Goose Island Brewery will serve their usual lineup, but will also be offering an exclusive Chicago-only cream ale called “Born+Raised.”
New Feature: Nursing Room
Located in the Club Level, the Mother’s Nursing Room is a place for nursing mothers. Comfortable recliners, electrical outlets, big TV to keep up with the action on the field, and it’s available with any game ticket. Fans need to visit guest relations to request access to the Nursing Room.
New Feature: Sensory Room
First of its kind in Major League Baseball, the Sensory Room provides fans with sensory sensitivities a calm, therapeutic place to enjoy the game. Textured walls, specialized lighting, weighted lap blankets, bubble wall, and other tools will help alleviate sensory overload. For a baseball stadium that launches fireworks after every home run and wins, this is a very thoughtful addition by the White Sox.
Helping the White Sox is KultureCity, a company based in Birmingham, Alabama. They will be providing training to White Sox staff in assisting fans who are experiencing sensory overload. In addition to the room, fans can also request sensory bags. These bags contain noise-cancelling headphones, fidget tools, blankets, and verbal cue cards.
The White Sox will have Autism Inclusion Night on Wednesday, July 24 against the Miami Marlins. Fans can buy tickets and get more information about the event at whitesox.com/autismspeaks.
New Toy: The Claw
In addition to the White Sox vending machine, there is now The Claw. Using Twitter, fans can send out a tweet with a unique hashtag that the machine generates. It activates the game which fans can try to grab hats, shirts, and other White Sox merchandise. Maybe even a mystic portal awaits for those that win. Fans can play the claw machine at The Revolution Brewing Tap Room.
Speaking of merchandise, the White Sox will have hats to giveaway to 500 fans at every home game who check-in on the MLB Ballpark app.
MLB has also partnered with DKNY to provide athlesiure fan wear for women.
Finally, for kids who have enjoyed the Xfinity Kids Zone, there will be a new booth called The Rookie Corner. First-game certificates and buttons will be passed out to those attending their first White Sox game, and they will get a chance to meet Southpaw.
Idk how I feel about the Goose Island thing as a whole, but that giant goose head stinks out loud.
At first, I laughed because how big it is.
After standing by it for awhile, it started to grow on me. It’s a landmark that I hope Daniel Palka hits in a game.
I remember Brisbee saying USCF was the worst park to hit long home runs in, and he wasn’t wrong.
If there is any possibility one gets stuck in his beak, I will reassess my position
I hope it makes a loud, reverberating clank if you hit it.
i actually love it to be honest. cant wait to see how it looks on broadcast with the water feature lol
Hope to see some home run balls on that “water feature”. Hopefully ours too.
no one wants to see your balls on the water feature
oof did I get “phrasing’d”
I still think, with enough booze, that goose island is gonna turn into one giant urinal…
Oh man I didn’t even think about that. I still don’t want to think about that.
certainly during Sox-Cubs games, those assholes pee in the sinks.
They should see a doctor about that.
On one hand the idea of having readily available replays without whirling around and staring upward is really nice but on the other hand damn do those look eerily like work cubicles.
Holy smokes that moat is slip n slide wide. And no midway gating that would let water stream through but curb BeefLoaf’s drunken 8th inning descent. I can’t wait to see what happens next.Â
Maybe those pegs that they have on the medians of escalators are forthcoming.
So you need a Goose ticket to get into this area? But you can still use that bar if you don’t have a ticket to that area? Seems like they won’t sell that area out all that often so they should let people hang out over there if it’s not full.
You can get to the bar but not the seats.
Hmmm. Whatever happened to watching baseball at a baseball game?
Deadspin addressed a similar question.
In short: America happened.
Welp.  That depressed me.  I’m going to try to go to an A’s game in Oakland next week (work trip) by the way.  I’ll report back on the experience.Â
One of the things I like best about baseball is that its leisurely pace, everyday nature and ticket prices allows for it to be consumed passively on any given day. If you want to go to the park with a bunch of friends and not hang on every pitch or leave in the 8th it’s ok because there’s another game right around the corner.
I’ll miss the outdoor seating in the cave. I understand premium seating options, but maybe they could have made a better effort to save that section.
I find it interesting that there are zero seats (as far as I can tell) in the VIP Goose Island seats for sale on Stubhub for any game. Either the Sox restricted reselling those seats or haven’t sold any of those seats.Â
Edit: found one game with seats in the third row, nothing in the second row.Â
Next time I’m at the park I’m heading to guest relations to request access to the nursing room. I’ll bring my kids. Just curious. Gets me into club level, too.Â