One thing both sides of the debate agree on is the new Reds stadium will be a more intimate, fan-friendly park than the monolithic Cinergy Field. A large part of the battle for votes is the fight to capture voters' imaginations. Broadway backers paint a romantic picture of peering up to Mount Adams from a new Broadway ballpark. Riverfront proponents counter with images of a new ballpark on a park-filled, reborn riverfront.

BROADWAY COMMONS		BASEBALL ON MAIN
The Broadway campaign likens its vision to Wrigley Field in Chicago, an intimate ballpark in an urban setting that commands a crowd because of the nostalgic experience. Key to the Broadway vision is the view of Mount Adams from the seats between home plate and third base and a view of the downtown skyline from behind first base. Riverfront backers point out the ballpark's main entrance also would be a short walk from the Hamilton County jail. Broadway backers say the jail could be screened from fans. The original Broadway vision was based on a 40,000-seat stadium with the entrance as close to Broadway as possible. The Reds' stadium deal with the county calls for a 45,000-seat ballpark, so the stadium would be bigger and moved farther back on the site. For that size stadium, the Greyhound bus station would need to be moved. A retro, brick and wrought-iron ballpark would complement the historic buildings and homes around the site, proponents say. Riverfront backers argue a stadium would dwarf those buildings.		The riverfront campaign talks about a fan-friendly ballpark with views of Mount Adams, the river and downtown's skyline. Broadway backers argue many seats in a new riverfront ballpark would have a view of the Crown. Riverfront proponents argue the Crown could be screened from view. A new riverfront stadium would sit at the same elevation as Third Street, significantly lower than Cinergy Field's elevation, which gives it an island-like quality. Broadway backers argue the elevation changes on the riverfront would demand steps or ramps, making it harder for pedestrians to get from the stadium to other riverfront attractions.

CONTEXT: It's difficult to know exactly how a stadium would look until architects design a ballpark and integrate it into the views and surroundings at either site.

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