PENSACOLA, Fla. – Bubba Watson stands in an open-air seating area atop Blue Wahoos Stadium on a spring morning. Pensacola Bay is visible just beyond the outfield wall.

“You see the reason we were voted the best view in Double-A baseball,” he says. The seats are empty, but it’s easy to envision 5,000 people enjoying America’s pastime in this waterfront setting.

On a game night, you may see Watson on the video board trying to rally the crowd, singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” honoring one of the club’s employees atop a dugout between innings or just enjoying the game with his family in their seats behind home plate ($13 apiece per game). His son, Caleb, plays catcher and intensely studies each team’s backstop.

The Blue Wahoos are about more than baseball. The team’s mission? To improve the quality of life for the people living in Pensacola. The ballpark is walking distance from downtown Pensacola, serving as a catalyst for its revitalization.