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April 16, 2009

Big Apple Ballparks

New Yankee Stadium

by Jay Jaffe and Marc Normandin

Though it won't host its first official game until April 16, the new Yankee Stadium has already incited plenty of controversy and less-than-rave reviews. If the original stadium (1923-1973) and its renovated descendant (1976-2008) could claim to be The House That Ruth Built, the new park is The House That Ruthlessness Built: a $1.3 billion monster with a sordid political and financial history, some outrageously priced tickets amid a ham-fistedly executed "relocation plan," and no shortage of aesthetic shortcomings.

For starters, the new park officially contains 4,561 fewer seats than the old one. The remaining seats are slightly wider and have more legroom, and there are a larger percentage of them at field level than before. They're also significantly pricier. According to Team Marketing Report's annual survey, the average ticket costs 76.3 percent more than last year, a whopping $72.97, and some premium seats run higher than $2,500!

Even beyond the price tag, the new stadium creates a social stratification which is anathema to anyone who believes that ballparks are some of our last great shared public spaces. A much higher percentage of seats than before are available only to season ticket holders; single-game buyers couldn't purchase tickets until they'd been picked over by season ticket and partial plan holders. Furthermore, less expensive seats have been significantly compromised relative to the old venue. Those in the upper deck are recessed some 30 feet further back. Foul balls? Fuggedaboutit, and that's without getting into how the shallower slope of the tier places the highest rows approximately in New Jersey. Meanwhile, the bleachers feature seats with views obstructed by the ominous-looking Mohegan Sun Sports Bar in center field. Don't even ask about the "moat" around the premium seats, or the $9 beer prices.

Aesthetically, the new stadium feels like a cross between the pre- and post-renovation models juiced on steroids and dropped into Times Square. To be fair, the exterior evokes a dramatic grandeur, and the wider concourses are a welcome feature, but like most of the new wave of "mallparks," patrons are bombarded with canned sound from all angles, not to mention plenty of flashing lights and advertising signage. The architectural firm that designed the new park, HOK Sport, incorporated distinctive elements from the old stadium, replicating the frieze that lined the roof of the original and the familiar asymmetry of the final outfield fence dimensions. However, the new Monument Park, which lurks in the shadow of the Mohegan monstrosity, is a barren bunker bearing little resemblance to the lush, colorful original. The flagpole, which reminded recent patrons of the original field's cavernous dimensions, is gone.

Even amid the various PR hits they've suffered, those prices will offset the anticipated dip from last year's 4.3 million attendance, not to mention any problems the team is having in selling the remainder of its premium seats and luxury boxes. Nevertheless, the team's spending has shown no sign of abating, with $441 million laid out in the winter free-agent market to snag Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett. That figure was more than the next five highest-spending teams combined, not to mention more than the bottom 26 teams combined. Their Opening Day payroll came in at $ 201,449,189, about $7.6 million lower than last year, but still more than their two AL East rivals, the Red Sox and the Rays, combined. The PECOTA projected standings suggest they may have spent enough to outdistance their rivals this year, but they'll need to keep milking the cash cow at 161^st Street and River Avenue to stay ahead of those two sharp organizations in the long run.—Jay Jaffe