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Less 'Dixieland Delight' and more 'Dixieland Disaster', Major League Baseball's attempt to showcase a game on a Tennessee Saturday night was beset by logistical nightmares, concessions issues, and torrential rain that pushed the game back a day.
Nearly a decade after two college football games were played at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Appalachian Mountains near the Virginia-Tennessee border, MLB decided to put on the 'Speedway Classic' at the NASCAR track.
But horrific weather made the game a nightmare for fans who were left stranded in the rain - where not even being underneath the bleachers provided reprieve. Add parking issues, sub-par food, and awful sight lines and it led to many fans branding the 'Speedway Classic' as the 'MLB version of Fyre Fest'.
The game was initially set for a first pitch around 7:30pm Eastern time before a two hour, 17 minute rain delay pushed first-pitch back to 9:41pm.
The temporary field didn't have the traditional drainage systems of an MLB ballpark, leading to poor conditions when the game eventually did get underway.
By the time the bottom of the first inning arrived, water started to pool in the infield. Eventually, only four batters into that half of the inning, the game was halted.
The stories coming from the @MLB @Braves vs @Reds Speedway Classic are all true.
At the beginning of the first rain delay we passed our friends next in line at a concession stand. I hollered and asked him to grab us some hotdogs.
Because of nearly zero cell signal (which seems… pic.twitter.com/XwxWWQHhkm
Torrential rain in Tennessee delayed, then postponed, MLB's first ever game in the state
91,000 fans flocked to Bristol Motor Speedway to watch the Braves and Reds
But after a lengthy rain delay, the field continued to be inundated with water - causing pools to form. Eventually, the game was called off and re-scheduled to the following afternoon.
Fans who attended were poured on, faced logistical nightmares (like waiting hours to leave their parking spots), and were treated to sub-par food such as hotdogs without buns
As the rain fell on the thousands in attendance, those who huddled under the bleachers found that water had begun falling through the grandstands and onto those beneath.
Any hopes of finding food to warm up from the damp were immediately dashed. Images of plates of Nachos without cheese and hot dogs without buns began circulating on social media.
Over time, food began to dwindle and, eventually, run out: 'Yes, a professional Basebell game was out of hotdogs before the first pitch was even thrown,' one upset fan posted on X.
Eventually, the game was suspended at 10:25pm - nearly three hours after its intended start time - and was re-scheduled for 1:00pm the following day.
Logistical nightmares awaited outside the venue as parking issues abounded. Shuttles set up to take people to and from the race track didn't meet the demand - leading to waits of multiple hours just to depart the game.
Angry fans took to social media to vent: 'Major league fail @MLB @Braves @Reds. The Bristol game was the MLB version of Fyre fest.'
Attendance for the re-scheduled game on Sunday was sparse - owing to fed-up fans
Some who did return found themselves in seats with horrendous sightlines
Owing to the concessions problems from the night before, MLB allowed fans to bring their own food to the stadium for the re-scheduled Sunday matinee.
But some fans were treated to horrendous sightlines where they got a better view of the back of the temporary grandstand behind home plate rather than the field itself.
When the game finally did resume, less than a quarter of the 91,000 fans who attended the night before turned out to watch the Braves beat the Reds 4-2 in the first MLB game played in Tennessee.
