The House that Webb Built?
2008 is Yankee Stadium’s curtain call.
After 84 years of tireless service to the New York faithful, the “House that Ruth Built” will give way to a brand-spankin’-new stadium, set to begin its tenure in 2009. Most people don’t know that the old Yankee Stadium, as it will soon be called, was intended to be a multi-sport stadium. The field was initially surrounded by a quarter-mile running track, which effectively also served as a warning track for outfielders, a feature now standard on all major league fields. The left and right field bleacher sections were laid out at right angles to each other and to the third base stands, to be properly positioned for both track and field events and football.
That’s right, the men who built Yankee Stadium anticipated the venue playing host to rousing athletics exhibitions.
Why couldn’t it be this way again? I mean, who better than the City of New York to promote and carry out a huge outdoor invitational track and field meet in Yankee Stadium? You could get the who’s-who of the City that Never Sleeps to attend, big-name musical acts to perform during down times, “main event” head-to-head competitions between the world’s best in each event, and even the “Pros vs. Joes” exhibitions discussed so much on this site. Shoot, lots of folks would come just to sit inside the Stadium. They’ll definitely leave having had a good time, and who knows — maybe they leave a track fan forever.
This would never happen, of course. Steinbrenner and the Yankees organization are too single-focused to think outside of baseball. They’d have the logistical issues of playing host to a world-class track meet during baseball season (easily solved — do it during a road series). Plus, as we’ve all observed and fumed about, running just isn’t the automatic moneymaker or crowd-attracter it could be. And “potential” doesn’t sell real well at Yankee Stadium.
So I guess that’s why we’re all here … to begin the conversation about how running can re-emerge as a good fit for the big stadiums — like Yankee Stadium — again.
