As old as the Hindenburg, as American as Apple Pie, Yankee hating has a long and storied tradition in this country. Broadway plays have been written about it, and a million gallons of ink have been spilled in its pursuit. The latest installment comes from Deadspin magazine:
If you want a human face to put on the new, already-insufferable Yankee Stadium, you’ll find none better than the smirking man at left. Meet Lonn Trost, a man of lordly disdain for the not-rich.
Earlier today, Trost, the Yankees’ chief operating officer, discussed possible changes to the ballpark — excuse me, stadium — with the Associated Press:
He said no changes were planned to the policy preventing fans with tickets in other parts of the stadium from getting close to the field during batting practice. Seats in the first nine rows, called the Legends Suite, cost $500 to $2,625 and come with access to three restaurants and lounges. The area is separated from the rest of the lower deck by a concrete moat.
“There’s an area by the Legends Suite which is not an area that fans can get into,” Trost said. “If you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite? If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?”
No, certainly not. Some slob might scratch the teak.
I remain fascinated by this moat, which has quickly joined the likes of Tal’s Hill and the Wrigley ivy in the pantheon of defining stadium quirks. Most teams go for some homey, red-brick, vintage Americana. Not Trost and the Yankees. They prefer feudal England.
A few things here. First, the fact of the matter is fans without tickets are not allowed into ANY seating area. Not in the Second deck, not in the Third deck, the Bleachers or Field level. You have to have a ticket to access ALL seating areas. Which is good for all fans, so you don’t have some yahoo sitting in your seat every time you leave to grab a beer. But why let the facts get in the way of a good story. To ask the Yanks to give their best customers, the ones who paid the MOST for their seats LESS security than everyone else enjoys is one of the most ridiculous things imaginable. Nobody who runs a business would ever treat their best customers that way, and the reality is the exorbitant prices those rich folks pay down there subsidize everyone else’s seats. Since demand was so soft for those high priced seats, the Yanks will wind up cutting prices on them next year, which means everyone else’s seats will be higher to make up for it. Also, while it would be nice allow all fans to get close to the field during batting practice, the reality is the days of players signing balls is largely gone and it was the same at the old building.
The people who sit in those lower bowl seats aren’t ‘fans’ in the sense that you or I are. Most of them are corporate business people, who use those seats to entertain clients and close deals. They view the prices as a business expense. You can’t close a multi-million dollar deal with a bunch of drunk, obnoxious Red Sox fans screaming at you. Kind of kills the mood. So if you’re in the Bleachers or Grandstand and complaining about the ‘moat’ around the Field level seats, then what you’re really doing is arguing for your own price increase next year. Also, the moat is in THE MIDDLE of the Field level section. So it really separates the $300 seats from the people in the $1000+ seats. Finally, the field level seats were largely own by corporations in the old building as well, so all the Yanks did was make the new facility more attractive for their existing customers, just like they did for everybody else.
But most of these complaints are coming from non-Yankee fans, who seize upon every opportunity to bash the team.
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0 Responses to Yankee Haters Continue to Wage Class Warfare
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TIQ IQ
Complaining about this “moat” thing is ridiculous. Just shows people don’t pay attention. Why only the Yankees getting labeled as “separating classes”?
ALL of these new stadiums have that “moat” separation. Check out CitiField. That’s just the way they’re designing these new parks.
But if one didn’t know any better you would think it’s only the Yankees who have a “moat”.
Yes a lot of the negative talk about the new YS is mostly anti-Yankee people who are looking to put a damper on the new place.
But some of the negative talk too is from Yankee fans who either don’t understand architecture (not that I’m an architect but I’ve followed the progress of the new place since ground broke. So I’m a little more knowledgeable to what this or why they did that…) OR who are just upset that there is a new stadium and are going out of their way not to find anything nice about it.
I am a life long Yankee fan and think that the moat is a terrible idea. There is no reason to keep kids from the field during the first 2 hours of batting practice. That section is empty during that time. That the restaurant obstructs the view from the bleachers is not surprising. The Yankees do not care about their less wealthy fans.
Wealthy corporate customers should be catered to, but not at the expense of other fans.
Couldn’t disagree more with this post. NONE of those ticket holders are anywhere near the field during BP. Why not let kids go down the field and get close to the action and maybe grab an autograph or two??? The Yanks are, as far as I can tell, the only team in baseball that does this. Continuing to sh!t on your fans like that will drive them away eventually.
Those wealthy corporate fans are the guys that are mainly allowing the team to field a $200M payroll this season and the next. If the team wants to create a safe environment for people that are playing up to $2500 per ticket I don’t see a problem with that. Those people earned their money too and should have full rights to the seat they purchased for the entire day. The stadium is rarely so filled before games that you can’t get a good view of batting practice from somewhere (like your own seat).
I have to agree with Steve here that this is just more Yankee fan bashing. People are up in arms about the rights of the majority of fans at the ballgame…but what about the rights of those who actually did pony up the extra dough?
Disagree. Let the kids in for autographs up to 1 hour before gametime. It’s a tradition – it’s part of baseball. None of these seats are even occupied 1 hour before the game. Who would it hurt?
They don’t sign much nowadays, and really haven’t for years. Once in a blue moon you’ll get a player who will sign a few autographs here and there, and it was the same in the old ballpark. I have a full season and have been to batting practice a zillion times, if they sign 6 a month, its a lot. The players are all busy preparing for the game.
Also, doing so means you will have to have security clear the area out about an hour before game time, at the very time they will be busy seating the people with their seats. For a bunch of autographs that nobody got. Just doesn’t make sense.
Totally agree with you ED B.
I never thought I would come around, but I’ve seen the error of my ways. FWIW, when I’ve been lucky enough to have those good seats this season, its a nice change of pace, not having a crowd keeping you from getting to your seat, or a mess waiting for you when you get there.
“That the restaurant obstructs the view from the bleachers is not surprising. The Yankees do not care about their less wealthy fans.”
Oh please, those obstructed view seats are $5. If you are unsatisfied you can watch the game from anywhere else in the ballpark. There are a ton of bleachers seats which aren’t affected by the restaurant.
Bottom line, the Yankees are in the business of making money. As long as the fans keep screaming for the best free agents available, the yankees will keep signing them. However they come at a price, that price is expensive tickets and concessions.
Personally, I’d be happier with a smaller payroll if it meant the end of the moat and the other ornaments to wealth at the ballpark. If you can’t make a business deal at a ballgame, so what? Manhattan is a pretty big place with lots of exclusive bars, lounges, hotels and restaurants. If ticket prices then go up on the other sections we’ll see how sustainable that will be in this economy.
If this is the result of asking patrons to pay extra, then by all means, don’t ask. Let’s eat nachos, down beers, grab dogs and put the emphasis back on enjoying the game. Let’s be a fan base instead of separate fan bases. And, if that’s too much for the rich to abide then so be it.
I like lots of finer things, but there is a time and place for everything.
For further “Yankee Hater” remarks, please see my posts in link #1. I’ve been a fan all my life. Disagreeing with the market as God, and the policies of YS2 does not make someone a Yankee hater. I love the Yankees, but absolutely hate the classist choices that have been made in the new stadium. It’s over the top, lacking in subtlety and only serves to disrespect the majority of fans.
Nobody accused you of being a Yankee hater. If you read the piece its clear that the author of the article was, and that’s who I was referring to.
It’s also a shame that because of your political hangups you’ve completely missed the fact that all fans enjoy wider concourses, more comfortable seats, great bars, better food/restaurants, and all the seats are closer to the field than in the old place. Its better for everyone, including (God forbid) the rich folks. The new building is so nice its a place you could actually take a date who’s not into Baseball.
BTW-The dirty little secret of the new ballpark is you can buy a $5 obstructed view ticket and hang out in the standing room behind home plate. But if you’re too busy feeling oppressed, don’t let me stop you. More room for the rest of us.
The problem isn’t the rich, it seems to be the nonrich who have the problems. The fact that they seem to be ones with the most gripes (judging by the attendance in the legends section, it seems the “rich” are voting with their wallets, and they are choosing other options).
If the “rich” pay more, and as a result wind up subsidizing ticket prices in other parts of the park, or in some affect those prices in any way downward, then my hats off to them, and I give’em a nice thank you.
I also think the “moat” should be at more stadiums. I never thought I would feel that way before, but I see it as a good idea now.
All I can say is WOW! I’ve never lived somewhere before where so many people espoused this type of thinking. For me, it’s shocking. To each, his/her own.
“Those wealthy corporate fans are the guys that are mainly allowing the team to field a $200M payroll this season and the next.”
Is this true? I think that the large number of average fans who sign up for Yes are contributing quite a bit to the Yankee coffers as well.
Denying some kid the experience of watching batting practice because his parents can’t afford $300 tickets seems pretty cheesy to me.
btw I am a lifelong Yankee fan.
The Yanks should be trying to appeal to a broad base of fans. I don’t think that letting people watch BP (so long as they leave before the game starts) is such a bad idea.
I agree. I think the complaining has reached a ridiculous level, but agree that this seems to be an easy fix- announce that from here forward, all tickets are general admission until an hour before the game. Pretty simple.
“Denying some kid the experience of watching batting practice because his parents can’t afford $300 tickets seems pretty cheesy to me.”
What? Who’s being denied watching batting practice? You have to watch it from your seat, like everyone else. Again, NOBODY gets access to any seating area unless you have a ticket. I’m in the second deck and I cant enter the bleachers, grandstand, and yes, the Field level seats. Its the same for everyone in every area.
Why should the people with the expensive seats have LESS security than the rest of us?
And all of this stuff about the rich subsidizing the rest of the fans is not true. The Yanks are a monopoly. They segment their market and get as much as they can from each segment.
If all the rich folks stopped buying those seats, prices for the rest of the stadium would be the same.
The Yanks are soaking everyone as much as they can, as they should as a for profit business.
I just think that they need to avoid the perception that they are a team for the rich and to heck with everyone else. A lot of folks in NYC don’t love that idea. There is another team in NYC that you can root for after all.
If I’m reading what you wrote right, your saying the Yankees are a monopoly, and then that their is another team in NYC to root for?
MLB is a monopoly, the Yankees are not (unless your position is that the mets are not competition and have no affect on the Yankees….which is fine, most Yankee fans think that too). The “rich” aren’t buying as many tickets, what effect it’ll have on ticket prices remains to be seen for next year. I do expect them to increase prices for the “non-rich”.
Why all this class warfare…if one doesn’t like it, don’t go!
Everyone works hard for their money (rich or less rich), how one wishes to spend it is up to them…not any of us. If one had the big bucks, one would feel differently about having ones seats dirty after paying $300 for them.
I think there are bigger headaches, particularly when you have attendants to do all the cleaning for you. If this is the big argument in favor, it doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
I’m sure that there are attendants that may have cleaned seats or do, I just haven’t seen it at any time I have ever sat in the “good seats” (unless your counting ushers whom have done a wipe down, but thats been in any section except the bleachers at games I’ve been to, nothing unique).
I’d say its got 2 legs to stand on, and pretty solid ground, unless you spend $5 for obstructed bleacher seats, at which point, you might not care if someone spit on your seat, and if there is garbage anywhere….because your probably not going to sit there to watch the game anyway.
I was in the grandstand last year, terrace this year, and, no, there is no wipe down. I’d be surprised that no one would help you to clean up a mess in the Legends section. Not saying I know for sure. But, when I snag some reduced price tiks off StubHub, I’ll let you know.
How are the Yankees a monopoly? Aside from having another baseball team in the city and 5 more within 300 miles or so the state has like 9 sports franchises.