I must admit that until a few days ago I had never heard of Paul Swaney. I came across his name and his dream while doing a bit of research for a year end review of the Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers Class A affiliate in the Midwest League. All aspiring athletes have dreams which they pursue with all their energy for as long as they possibly can. However, Swaney’s dream is not being played out only between the lines, on the field, on the ice or on the court. It includes those playing surfaces but also all of the structures that surround them – architectural and human resources.

Simply put, his dream is to visit and breathe in the experience of as many stadiums of all sports as he possibly can. The ultimate goal would most likely be to visit every sport venue in the United States. That may well be an aspiring goal which is too daunting for even him to accomplish alone. Paul Swaney’s dream has gone further than just visiting stadiums. It is now, and has been for four years, a plan to publish reviews of the various sport venues that he visits. In November 2011 that dream was realized with the publication of Stadium Journey magazine which has now reviewed over 1500 stadiums. The reviews of the stadiums provide intimate details all the way from structural designs, to washroom cleanliness, to where to park, to what to eat and how much it will cost. Stadium atmosphere is obviously one his main criteria in a stadium review.

If it exists, it’s probably in Stadium Journey.
(Image courtesy of StadiumJourney.com)

Besides following a dream, Paul Swaney feels he can provide a useful service to sport enthusiasts: “Our reviews and ratings are essentially a tool for providing useful information to sports fans who love to travel. We want to help fans make the very most out of their sports dollar, and also provide a forum where they can share their experiences and knowledge.”

Swaney lives in Ann Arbor Michigan with his wife Jennifer and his young son Owen whom he often takes on his stadium excursions. Most of his work centers on the Midwest although he visits other locations further from home putting about 30,000 miles a year on his car while making about 50 stadium visits. His stadium chasing and magazine are his full time job. In four years he has built a team of more than 100 contributors based in 15 countries on every continent, except Antarctica, which means even soccer stadiums get reviews.

Paul Swaney with his son Owen on the road again.
(Photo courtesy of StadiumJourney.com)

As with any new business, and this one is definitely unique, the challenges are great financially. Paul Swaney indicates his monthly magazine has about 300 subscribers who pay $20 annually. He does have a website – stadiumjourney.com – and said the website had about 200,000 page views last April. He also noted that his company is “profitable, but just barely,” however, he has plans to continue to follow his dream and make it his life’s work. Among his ideas to grow his company are cookbooks and travel guides for each of the major cities. His first cookbook – Stadium Journey Pro Football Inspired Cookbook: Recipes for Home or the Tailgate – debuted in 2013. In the future Swaney intends to develop travel guides for both major and minor league baseball stadiums.

Swaney continues to follow his dream: “I hope to do this the rest of my life,” Swaney said. “That was the goal, to create a profession moving forward. There will be plenty of more baseball pieces in the future, and you can expect to see travel guides of both major and minor league stadiums as we continue to grow.”

In the January 2014 issue of Stadium Journey Swaney includes articles on Stadium Journey’s annual ranking of the best stadium experiences for the past year and features on Minnesota Duluth hockey, Notre Dame hockey, Indianapolis Colts, Columbus Clippers, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Mississippi Braves, New Mexico basketball, USC football and the Colorado Rockies spring training facility.

The January issue of Stadium Journey includes his ranking of the best 100 stadiums in 2013. Stadiums of note include:

1. Amsoil Arena: Home of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
2. Daytona International Speedway: Home of the Daytona 500
5 . Fenway Park: Home of the Boston Red Sox
10 .Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Home of the Baltimore Orioles
17. Parkview Field: Home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps (top MiLB park)
39. Dow Diamond: Home of the Great Lakes Loons
96. LoanMart Field: Home of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

LoanMart Field, home of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, is one of baseball’s most beautiful settings. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Dodger Stadium was not listed among the best 100 stadiums in Stadium Journey’s ranking for 2013 but drew a good, improved review over previous years.