The Yankee stadium is a baseball venue that is located in Concourse, Brink, New York City. It has two tenants, the New York Yankees Major League Baseball team as well as New York City FC Major League Soccer team.
The new stadium replaced the old stadium in 2009.
Old Stadium
The first Yankee stadium was opened in 1923 and was funded entirely by then owner Jacob Ruppert. It was built for a total cost of $2.4 million and was hailed at the time as the most modern stadium in the country. The stadium hosted a total of 6,581 Yankees home games during its 85-year life. The stadium was often termed the house that Ruth built as it’s opening coincided with the rise of Yankees legend Babe Ruth’s prolific career. It has also been referred to “The Cathedral of Baseball”. The Yankees also famously won the World Series in their inaugural season.
The stadium was also home to the New York Giants NFL team from 1956 through to 1973.
There are many stand out performances that have taken place at the stadium including many World Series play offs, no-hitters, perfect games and historic home runs. Other notable events include boxing matches featuring the likes of Joe Louis, Concerts held by the Beach Boys, Billy Joel and Pink Floyd and three Papal masses.
The stadium began to significantly decline through the 1960s and renovations took place during the mid-1970s. This changed the stadium significantly however the venue continued to degrade with an 18-inch beam falling onto a seat before a scheduled game in 1998. This prompted a range of options to be considered in order to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for spectators.
The New Venue
After considering and rejecting many proposals George Steinbrenner (Principal Owner of the New York Yankees) landed on a a great deal for the Yankees with a move to the current position. The Mayor Rudi Giuliani proposed a $1 billion facility that would be mainly funded by the taxpayer. Shortly after this proposal Michael Bloomberg came to power and backed out of the agreement citing a case of “corporate welfare”.
Bloomberg’s plan for the venue was finally accepted by all parties in 2004 and ground-breaking ceremonies were held in 2006. The Yankees continued to play in the old stadium whilst the new venue was being built. The community were without parkland for around five years.
The new venue focused on the history of the Yankees with hundreds of images placed around the inside of the stadium. The layout of the seats is a homage to the old stadium as they are laid out in a similar way. The venue is separated into a lower bowl which houses the expensive seats and corporate boxes whilst the cheaper seats are placed in the upper bowl. This has come with its problems because the ticket prices in the lower bowl are significantly higher than the upper bowl. This has led to low numbers in this part of the stadium even in some important matches. The optics are not good for TV as the stadium at times will look near empty.
Another nod to the old stadium is the frieze attached to the roof. It replicates the copper frieze that adorned the stadium until the mid-1970s when it was torn down during renovations.
Other design features include the wall being cut out behind the bleacher seats which replicates the pre-renovation old venue. Another outstanding feature is the “Great Hall” which is a large concourse that runs between Gates 4 and 6. It has 20 feet ceilings and nearly 3,000 square metres (31,000 square feet) of retail space. It is also adorned with 20 huge banners with the images of past and present legends of the club.
Controversy
The new Yankee Stadium has had its fair share of controversy including budget blow outs, an extended time schedule and stakeholder conflict. With the old stadium being such an icon for New York conflict and controversy were likely to happen.
The project was presented to Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki with a price tag of $700 million. The incentive for the Yankees to push for a new venue was an increase in lucrative corporate boxes, club seating, restaurants and wider concourses. This would see an increase in revenues for the Yankees and increase the value of the Franchise.
In 2004, before construction of the stadium had even started, the price tag had increased to $1.3 billion.
The lack of stakeholder engagement was criticised particularly with the loss of parklands that were originally planned for. In fact, the transfer of the 22-acre park lands was approved by the state legislature less than a week after the plans were unveiled. Failure to consult with community groups provided much criticism as the project proceeded.
There was also wrongdoing that was highlighted by Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich that argued that the value of property was intentionally misrepresented in order to receive significant tax breaks. He added that there was enough evidence to support a case of fraud.
The new stadium has also hosted a number of matches involving other codes. European powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have all played there in front of thousands of spectators. New York City which is a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise also calls Yankee stadium home and has been playing there since 2015.
The venue has also seen College football, boxing, ice hockey and other events such as Christian prayer services, graduation ceremonies and rock concerts. Some of the names featured the likes of Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Madonna, Metallica and Paul McCartney to name a few.
Lessons Learned
The disparity with the seating and the optics of an empty stadium are a lesson learned that stadium management are still wrestling with. Ticket prices were significantly reduced from the 2009 rates, however when families go to the game there are other pricing considerations. This includes the cost of getting there and the exorbitant food prices within the venue. This can add up to a very expensive day for a family and may go some way to explain why families are opting the cheaper option of watching the game on the TV.
The lack of stakeholder engagement was also a problem and led to a suspicion of underhandedness. This was not helped by the local community being without any parklands for five years. Real or not, engaging with stakeholders even those with a high negative interest can pay dividends. By including them in the conversation project managers will provide more clarity and transparency .
On balance the outcomes from the new stadium have proved to be positive for the city of New York. It is an icon facility that houses one of the icon baseball teams. It also provides an exceptional experience for the fan and the local community has benefited with exceptional parklands where the old stadium used to be. The Yankees also created a charity to placate the local community which is intended to supply around $40 million in cash grants to community organisations within the local borough over the next 40 years.
Overall a project success.