City: Phoenix, AZ

Category: Spectator Sports

Description: The Cactus League includes 15 Major League Baseball teams that play in March across 10 cozy Valley stadiums that provide fans a much more intimate look at the game. The spring training venues give fans the chance to see their teams preparing for the season ahead, which means a close look at high-priced free agent acquisitions and rookie phenoms in their new uniforms. This is the place where Barry Bonds hit tape-measure home runs through his BALCO steroids scandal. It’s where Rickey Henderson teaches the next generation of Oakland A’s players how to steal bases. It’s where legends like Fergie Jenkins, Rollie Fingers, and George Brett routinely pose for photos with fans. The late Bob Feller and Ron Santo were also fixtures in the crowd at Indians and Cubs games.The league has humble roots, as only eight teams played in the Valley and Tucson in the 1980s. Its popularity as a spring destination spot exploded in the 1990s and around the turn of the century as new stadiums like Scottsdale Stadium (1992, San Francisco Giants) and Surprise Stadium (2002, Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals) sprang up to give fans more options. Since 2009 six teams have moved into 3 new parks that combine luxury and old-school baseball amenities. Today you can spend a long weekend traveling between different Valley communities to get a taste of the old and new. Tailgate with bratwurst-grilling Brewers fans at the no-frills Maryvale Stadium in west Phoenix on Saturday before driving on Sunday to the Salt River Fields in Scottsdale for a luxury-like experience at the new home of the Diamondbacks and Rockies.The Cactus League is an economic force for Arizona. Sales generate around $200 million annually as fans travel to the Valley from Chicago, the Bay Area, and Colorado to see their teams in action. Locals also watch several games each March, if not more. The parks are the place to be to enjoy the 80-degree weather and teasingly phone friends or family back East.