Excite Ballpark

Excite Ballpark, originally built in 1942 as Municipal Stadium, is one of the oldest minor league ballparks still in active use in the United States. Located in San Jose, California, the 5,200-seat stadium has served the San Jose Giants for decades, surviving the transformation of the surrounding area from orchards and farmland into the heart of Silicon Valley. The stadium's longevity is remarkable given the extraordinary real estate pressures of the San Jose market, where the land beneath the ballpark has appreciated to values that would make most developers salivate.

The ballpark has been renovated multiple times during its eight-decade history, with upgrades to seating, concessions, lighting, and the playing surface keeping the venue functional as standards have evolved. Despite the renovations, the stadium retains the compact, intimate character of its mid-century origins. The grandstand sits close to the field, and the atmosphere has a throwback quality that contrasts sharply with the high-tech environment of the surrounding Silicon Valley. The juxtaposition of a 1940s-era ballpark amid the headquarters of technology companies is one of the most unusual pairings in American sports.

The San Jose Giants serve as the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, and the proximity to Oracle Park — roughly 50 miles north — makes Excite Ballpark an important component of the Giants' player development pipeline. The ballpark has hosted future Major League stars at the very beginning of their professional careers, and the Silicon Valley fanbase includes both traditional baseball fans and tech industry workers who have adopted the Giants as their local entertainment option.

Excite Ballpark's future has been the subject of periodic discussion, with proposals for replacement or relocation emerging as the value of the land and the age of the facility have both increased. For now, the ballpark endures, a charming anachronism in America's most future-oriented region. The naming rights deal with Excite reflects the commercial partnerships that sustain minor league operations. For San Jose, the ballpark is a reminder that even in the capital of innovation, some things are worth preserving simply because they are good.