Is this the stadium of the future?

BASEBALL is a game tied closely to heritage and tradition, the markers of a glorious past. But in California, the Oakland Athletics and Cisco Systems are working on the stadium of the future. Michael Moynihan reports.

THERE WAS a time when watching baseball wasn’t exactly geared towards spectator comfort. Fans turned up and perched in uncomfortable, exposed seats that were whitened by the sun and eventually called bleachers.

Needless to say, it’s a different ball game now. In California, the Oakland Athletics have always been a competitive side in the major leagues but have never been very popular. To maximise attendance they’re planning a move 20 miles south to Fremont, on the fringes of Silicon Valley.