The common denominator? Yankee Stadium

[Déjà Bru]

I've always been a Yankees fan and they play their home games in Yankee Stadium, of course; all of the various versions of it over the years. I actually live closer to Shea Stadium/Citifield, but when I became a Yankees fan, it was just after their glory years of the 1950's and early 1960's (and I suffered for a decade and a half after that for the privilege).

What American football team do I follow? The New York Giants, who once played their games in Yankee Stadium. Not the Jets, who played in Shea Stadium. It just seemed to flow.

For hockey, it's the New York Rangers. This is a bit more subtle; why the Rangers? They never played in Yankee Stadium. Hmmm. Well, they are closer to Yankee Stadium than the alternative, the New York Islanders. Again, I live much closer to the Coliseum than Yankee Stadium but I could never get into the Islanders.

So now I am beginning to follow American soccer for the first time in my life: Major League Soccer. Once again, there are two New York teams: New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls. For whom do I root? Forget about the Bulls; they play home games in an arena in Harrison, New Jersey. NYCFC? Yep, Yankee Stadium. They're the one.

I tell you, it's Yankee Stadium that is the determining factor. It's a magical place. Go NYCFC!



EDIT: A "thanks" will go to the first person to post to the effect of "Gee, it must be nice to live in a sports market where you have two teams to choose from in every major sport." Yes, it is.

[Westheim]

The place where I live has never had a top flight team in any sport at any time. Not even in like 1907. Never.

There are two top flight basketball teams less than an hour's drive away. But I don't care for basketball. Not one lick. So I stay home and watch MLB.tv instead.

Uhm. Yeah. No choice is… not so bad?

I don't know why I posted.

[Boomcoach]

What makes me mad is that the MLS makes a big deal for expansion clubs to have soccer specific stadiums plans ready to go as part of the expansion consideration, but let the Yankees and Man City wave some money around and they will let them keep playing on that abhorrent field for years.

Yankee Stadium may be a great place for baseball, but that field shouldn't be allowed for a high school game, much less a professional one. Green painted dirt and a field so narrow you could bowl on it makes for some really ugly soccer.

C'mon, New York. Columbus Ohio managed the first soccer specific stadium in the US and is about to build a second one to replace it and NYCFC has to play on that red-headed stepchild of a field?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

I don't know why I posted.

Because you mentioned something about two local teams in one market, hence you received my "thanks"!

Originally Posted by Boomcoach

What makes me mad is that the MLS makes a big deal for expansion clubs to have soccer specific stadiums plans ready to go as part of the expansion consideration, but let the Yankees and Man City wave some money around and they will let them keep playing on that abhorrent field for years.

Yankee Stadium may be a great place for baseball, but that field shouldn't be allowed for a high school game, much less a professional one. Green painted dirt and a field so narrow you could bowl on it makes for some really ugly soccer.

C'mon, New York. Columbus Ohio managed the first soccer specific stadium in the US and is about to build a second one to replace it and NYCFC has to play on that red-headed stepchild of a field?

I have to agree with you on this, unfortunately. Is it green-painted dirt or just sod temporarily laid over it? Because the other day, I saw a player stop and quickly tamp down a piece of sod that had come up during play. Not a divot, but a layer of sod, folded over. Moreover, an announcer made a statement in another game about how close the fences are to the pitch (a player had to jump over one to avoid a crash), again because it's a baseball stadium with soccer shoehorned into it. Nevertheless, since NYCFC has played their home games at Yankee Stadium, they are my MLS team for life (or until they fold or relocate), even if they do eventually get their own soccer specific stadium.

[Boomcoach]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I have to agree with you on this, unfortunately. Is it green-painted dirt or just sod temporarily laid over it? Because the other day, I saw a player stop and quickly tamp down a piece of sod that had come up during play. Not a divot, but a layer of sod, folded over. Moreover, an announcer made a statement in another game about how close the fences are to the pitch (a player had to jump over one to avoid a crash), again because it's a baseball stadium with soccer shoehorned into it. Nevertheless, since NYCFC has played their home games at Yankee Stadium, they are my MLS team for life (or until they fold or relocate), even if they do eventually get their own soccer specific stadium.

I have seen it both ways, it may depend on the timing for Yankees games.

I appreciate how something like that can make a fan of you. When I was a kid, in Indiana in the 60s, there wasn't a nearby NFL team. I ended up rooting for the Rams because Roman Gabriel seemed like such a cool name and they had a player from near where I lived. Rooted for them for years, still hate the 49ers because of it. (I remember as a kid liking it better if the 49ers were 3rd and short rather than 3rd and 4 or 5 because I thought we might stop the run, but if they passed they were going to get a 1st down and more on some ^%$#$ crossing route!)

Whatever makes you a fan works!

[rudel.dietrich]

No idea why they cannot share the stadium with the Red Bull’s. But real estate space in NYC is at a premium. It took DC United a lifetime to get their own stadium.

Of course the non soccer specific field thing does work for some cities. Atlanta and Seattle would spend a fortune on a soccer specific stadium because they draw over 50,000 on a regular basis.
Audi Field is great and looks nice for the average crowd of 17,500 or so but that is a third of what Atlanta draws.
It would be a massive financial disadvantage for them to build a stadium that can hold 65,000-70,000.
For now leasing Mercedes Benz Stadium works well for them.

[Leo_The_Lip]

Well, I became a Yankees/Giants fan when they were the only baseball and football teams in town. Likewise the Knicks and Rangers. So I don't fathom all this 'two team' talk.

I still think of the Mets as an expansion team that overpaid for its expansion draft players, like ancient Richie Ashburn. Also, my great aunt lived in Yonkers and an hour or so after the Mets broadcast ended, we could look down the hill and see Lindsey Nelson barbecuing in his backyard. I still never liked the Mets.

In the 1960's Jet fans were simply people who couldn't get Giants tickets.

[Buster Cherry]

Originally Posted by Leo_The_Lip

Well, I became a Yankees/Giants fan when they were the only baseball and football teams in town. Likewise the Knicks and Rangers. So I don't fathom all this 'two team' talk.

I still think of the Mets as an expansion team that overpaid for its expansion draft players, like ancient Richie Ashburn. Also, my great aunt lived in Yonkers and an hour or so after the Mets broadcast ended, we could look down the hill and see Lindsey Nelson barbecuing in his backyard. I still never liked the Mets.

In the 1960's Jet fans were simply people who couldn't get Giants tickets.

Ashburn actually had a decent year for the 1962 Mets. He was named team MVP but decided to retire rather than go through another season from hell like he'd just experienced. Gil Hodges, on the other hand, was overpaid and ancient but he later managed the Mets to a World Series victory.