Globe Life Field - Texas Rangers

Photos by Michael Davis, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57

Globe Life Field 734 Stadium Drive Arlington, TX 76011

Texas Rangers website

Globe Life Field website

Year Opened: 2020 Capacity: 40,300

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Globe Life Field – Texas Rangers

Globe Life Field is home to Major League Baseball’s American League Texas Rangers – the Rangers organization began in 1972 when the Washington Senators relocated to Arlington, Texas.  Globe Life Field is a retractable roof stadium that opened in 2020 with a seating capacity of just over 40,000; the new ballpark is just across the street from the Rangers former home Globe Life Park, now Choctaw Stadium.

Globe Life Field’s opening was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the first game being played without fans on July 24, 2020. However, although the pandemic pushed back the 2020 MLB season and cost the Rangers fan attendance in their new ballpark, there was a bright side, as Globe Life Field was selected to host the 2020 National League championship series and the 2020 World Series. Baseball Fans were allowed to attend those playoff games, and people finally got to see the Rangers new home firsthand.

Globe Life Field has hosted many events – these include the National and American League Championships, the 2020 and 2023 World Series, and the MLB All-Star Game, as well as college football games and year-round concerts.

Food & Beverage   5

 One of the most basic food items at sporting events began in Arlington, as the Rangers were the first team to introduce nachos to fans. The same nachos company, Rico’s, has been supplying the chips to Rangers fans for decades. One of their most recent nacho offerings comes in the form of the Boomstick, a three-pound two-foot-long hot dog covered with chili, nacho cheese, jalapenos, and caramelized onions.

In fact, year after year the Rangers have creative items on the menu; new this season the Rangers food service Levy introduced 13 new food items, the most popular being the 9th inning Rally Sombrero, a wearable, 26-inch-wide sombrero filled with nacho toppings, including chips, cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and jalapeños. Globe Life Field also has local vendors such as Hurtado Barbecue, Golden Chick, Pluckers, and a Texas favorite in Whataburger. The Rangers also connect with fans looking for vegan options, who can choose from a full menu including vegan burgers, sandwiches, nachos, and chicken nuggets, all available at the Visiting Vegan stand.

Concession prices are a bit high here, but fans are getting plenty of food for what they are paying. Soft drinks include Coke products, along with PowerAde and Dasani as non-carbonated options. There are also plenty of alcohol choices as well inside the ballpark, including several full-service bars and beer carts around the stadium that serve seltzer, wine, mixed drinks, and beer from both national brands and local brewing companies Deep Ellum and Karbach.

Overall, there are plenty of food and beverage choices for any fan that attends a Rangers game, and you get a lot for what you are paying.

Atmosphere   3

Globe Life Field has been criticized and mocked for its outside structure; it’s not an attractive ballpark from the outside, especially when you compare it to the team’s old facility across the street. However, once you are inside the ballpark it transforms into one of the better retractable roof stadiums in the country, and the glass used around the stadium lets in enough light that you don’t feel like you’re inside a warehouse. Originally fans compared this venue to the other major league ballpark in the state, Daikin Park in Houston, but Globe Life Field has a lot more character than the home of the Astros.

Globe Life Field has a large videoboard suspended high above right field, which is the main source of gameday information. There are also two other large videoboards showing information during the game – one is a vertically hung auxiliary scoreboard in centerfield showing the day’s lineup, while the other is situated high above the party porch in left field.

As fans enter the ballpark they can walk around the different concourses and see Rangers history throughout, including a Texas-sized clock and Ranger Hall of Famer uniforms in centerfield. There is also not a better moment leading up to first pitch than when long-time public-address announcer Chuck Morgan makes his standard announcement, as the umpires and managers wrap up their pre-game meeting – “Ladies and Gentlemen, it is Baseball Time in Texas!”. Chuck Morgan has been the voice of the Texas Rangers for the past 43 years; he is in the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, and one day Cooperstown should be calling on him to fill his place among the great baseball announcers.

The Rangers game presentation is basic and simple – the team boasts the Rangers Six Shooters, the team’s spirit squad which cheers from an area in centerfield, along with mascot Rangers Captain, a palomino-style horse dressed in the team’s uniform wearing number 72, marking the first year of the Rangers organization. The staff also entertains by leading fans in singing throughout the game, including the fifth inning “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and the 7th inning stretch “Take Me out to the Ballgame”, plus bonus song “Cotton Eye Joe”.

Another popular mid-inning activity is the Dot Race, which started at Arlington Stadium with Chuck Morgan stating “As a reminder, this is an exhibition. No wagering, please.” – this is now a Rangers tradition that helps set the experience here apart from what you will see anywhere else.

Overall, the ballpark, Chuck Morgan, and the Rangers fans provide an above-average atmosphere compared to other ballparks around Major League Baseball.

Neighborhood   3

Globe Life Field is in the center of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, just south of DFW Airport. The two large cities are both around 25 miles in opposite directions of the facility, but each has plenty of tourist attractions, lodging options, and restaurants.

If you are new to the Arlington area, the neighborhood has improved over the years, and continues to become a little more attractive each year to hang out in before or after a game. The ballpark is next to Texas Live!, a place filled with various restaurants for fans to visit; the restaurants are Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint, Pudge’s Pizza owned by Rangers legend Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Lockhart Smokehouse, Arlington’s backyard BBQ, and Troy’s (owned by Hall of Famer Troy Aikman). There are also two hotels adjacent to the ballpark: Live by Loews and Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center.

Just to the west of Globe Life Field is AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, while across the street is Choctaw Stadium. The Medal of Honor Museum and Arlington Museum of Art are also both within walking distance of the venue. There are also other places to spend time at while on your visit to Arlington – Six Flags over Texas and Hurricane Harbor Waterpark are both within a mile and a half of the ballpark, and the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame is also within that 1.5-mile radius.

Fans   3

Last year the Texas Rangers attendance saw a slight decline from the prior year, with an average of 29,593 fans per game, and this season is showing to be around the same. The key to seeing larger attendance is solely based on the performance of the team on the field, however – this is not just a Rangers thing but is true around baseball; fans want to see good teams.

Despite the numbers, Rangers fans are loud, knowledgeable, and respond accordingly in all game situations. Globe Life Field’s roof being enclosed adds to the loudness of the fans here, but overall, the fans themselves are a pleasure to watch a ball game with.

Access   3

Globe Life Field is in the heart of Arlington’s entertainment district. Arlington is in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, making up the fourth-largest metropolitan population in the United States.

Two airports support the DFW area, including Love Field near downtown Dallas, about twenty-one miles from Globe Life Field, for Southwest Airlines flights. However, most flights arrive at DFW International Airport, which is ten miles from the ballpark.

The City of Arlington is the largest populated city in the United States that does not have public transit, so the only way to get to Globe Life Field from either airport is via rideshare or a rental car. For rideshare, the cost from either airport is about $40 one-way on average.

Driving to Globe Life Field is easy, as it is located off Interstate 30. There are plenty of options for parking around the ballpark, with prices ranging from $20 to $60. Pre-paid parking is offered and is a fantastic way to minimize cost and time searching if you book ahead. Also, if you are staying in a hotel near the ballpark, many have a shuttle to the stadium.

Once at the ballpark there are six entrances into Globe Life Field. The most common, the north entrance, is adjacent to Texas Live! Gates open about 2 hours before first pitch.

When walking inside the ballpark, there is plenty of signage to help you navigate throughout the facility – the wide concourses provide plenty of space for fans to walk around and see the sights. Note that when buying tickets, however, the lower field-level seats are only accessible to those who have tickets in those sections.

Disclaimer for fans purchasing tickets: Globe Life Field has numerous obstructions. Avoid purchasing the first 5 rows of each section as your sightline there will be impacted by the extended wire rails that have been installed in the ballpark.

Return on Investment   3

Texas Rangers tickets truly depend on the night, opponent, and even specific popular promotional giveaways. Since MLB supply-and-demand flex pricing is a guessing game, the earlier you can lock in a price, the more protected you are against rising costs. For example, the Rangers website lists tickets as low as $14 and as high as $667 for one game, but on a different night, the low and high prices change to $23 and $425 – this doesn’t include service fees, which can add $5 to $15 to each ticket. For some games, it would be more economical to look at third-party sellers, as season ticket holders sell their seats for less desirable games. Despite all this, however, Major League Baseball is still the most affordable of the major league sports.

The parking cost here is average compared to the rest of Major League Baseball, starting anywhere from $30 to $60 for lots around Globe Life Field. However, parking is also on a flex pricing schedule, so the more popular the game the higher the cost. Nevertheless, there is pre-sale parking available, which is a good option especially for out-of-town fans. One of the biggest downsides to this ballpark is the lack of public transportation for such a large metroplex.

Globe Life Field’s concessions have the typically high costs commonly seen at sports venues. However, when the Rangers create new food items, or if you choose one of their already popular items like the Boomstick, the food and drink costs can easily go beyond your normal expectations.

The days of baseball being low-cost entertainment are no longer here when it comes to Globe Life Field. However, Major League Baseball still provides the lowest cost among all the major sports.

Extras   5

The obvious extra to Globe Life Field is that the ballpark has a retractable roof – although the venue is an eyesore to some looking in from the outside, the constant 72 degrees indoors keeps fans and players from enduring the Texas summer heat.

Other things add to fans enjoyable time at Globe Life Field too, such as behind home plate on the main concourse there is a unique opportunity for fans to see and visit with the Texas Rangers longtime public address announcer Chuck Morgan, who welcomes baseball fans to Arlington with his announcement of “It’s Baseball Time in Texas!”. In addition, outside Chuck Morgan’s office are display cases full of Rangers memorabilia.

Outside Globe Life Field there are also plaques of Texas Ranger Hall of Fame inductees on display outside the stadium's northeast entry point, adjacent to the statue of Benjie Molina and Neftali Feliz celebrating the Rangers 2010 American League Championship. There are also three bronze statues of Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriquez, and Adrian Beltre.

Globe Life Field’s outfield wall also recognizes numbers of significance throughout Rangers history – the distance markers are the numbers worn by players that are in the Rangers Hall of Fame, namely 29 (Adrian Beltre), 34 (Nolan Ryan),10 (Michael Young), 7 (Ivan Rodriguez), and 26 (Johnny Oates). Lastly, Globe Life Field’s distance from home plate to backstop is 42 in recognition of Jackie Robinson’s retired number throughout baseball.

Final Thoughts

As I looked across the street at the old ballpark with bittersweet memories, I realized that this recent home of the Rangers has become more useful in the last few years since it opened.

Globe Life Field, being a retractable ballpark, has provided a year-round place where DFW residents can come together. The ballpark was built for the Texas Rangers and fans as a relief from the Texas Summer heat, yet the ballpark has held numerous concerts, other sporting events, and high school graduations as well.

As for baseball, Globe Life Field may not be high on baseball fans’ lists of favorite ballparks, as the ballpark doesn’t have the same charm as some of the others, but it is still a solid place to watch an MLB game, in one of the best metro areas in the US.