Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ballpark was designed to segment the fans

The Cincinnati Reds’ home ballpark is set up to separate fans by price of ticket more than any other ballpark in MLB.

The Cincinnati Reds have one of the most divided ballparks in all of baseball.  The way GABP was laid out lends itself to separating each level of fan from the others.  Once you get past the initial entrance, you are quickly encourage to go to your area and stay there.
First there is the high end boxes that start behind home plate and extend down the third base line on the main level.  There is only one non-descript door way to enter the hall to get into the boxes.  You have to have a ticket and wear a wristband to move about the area.  There is an employee outside that door every second the stadium is open.  The club seats that mimic the boxes one level up have a good reputation.
The main bowl is all at one level.  To go from right field, less expensive, to left field, more expensive, you either have to walk all the way behind home plate on the main concourse or walk down a level and then come back up a level.  The seats in right rise more quickly than left and the difference is noticeable.

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If you sit in the upper deck, you make a pair of quick lefts and take the 60 seconds to heaven elevator.  That’s the nickname that because the ride from the main concourse to the upper deck takes you one minute.  They so want you to stay away from the rest of the fans that there’s a mini team shop right at the top of the elevator.

Made off of the same design as the Ballpark in Arlington and Target Field in Minnesota, GABP is unique in that nowhere can you walk completely around the stadium all on the same level.

It’s really an uneasy feeling that you get watching sports in Cincinnati.  Neither at GABP nor at Paul Brown Stadium where the Bengals play can you walk around the stadium all on one level.  There are few stadiums in the United States like this, but Cincinnati possesses two.

Next: Great American Ballpark has the best local food options

At the Ballpark in Arlington you can walk all away the main concourse on one level.  In addition to that, there is a bar area in straight away center with a big screen and picnic tables where any fan can sit.  It’s right in front of the office building balconies that makes for an interesting combination of fans.

Target Field has an interesting take on the main concourse level.  The food and retail locations on the main concourse essentially repeat themselves.  You can shop and stop no matter where on the main concourse you are at any time.  It makes grabbing food so easy.
There’s not much that the Cincinnati Reds can do at this point.  GABP has a design flaw.  Maybe they can renovate the problem and add some more local food options, too.