Part of it is that the Brewers are simply late to the dance on this. More and more, cities and states have figured out that spending millions in taxpayer dollars to built a stadium is no longer a good deal (if it ever was). re: Maryvale, it seems like I have to re-post my thoughts on it every years. My wife and I visited Spring Training about six years ago. When we got to our hotel, which was in the northern part of Phoenix, we asked the clerk at our hotel desk where to visit, sights to see, etc. One of the first things she said was, "Avoid Maryvale." Then we told her we were there to see the Brewers, and she said, "Well, if you go during the day and just go to the stadium, you should be OK." So yes, it seems to have a bad reputation, not just with tourists, but with the locals. No, it's not a festering ghetto, but it's an area surrounded with lower income houses, pawn shops, etc. You drive out of the stadium after a game, and there are people begging for money on the median (at least there were at the time we visited). The stadium itself is OK, perfectly fine to just watch a game, but the newer ones blow it out of the water in terms of layout and amenities.