Trend: New stadiums

The Mets' Citi Field

Photograph: Virginia Rollison

The Yankees and the Mets have spent a ton of money—a lot of it yours, taxpayers—on brand new stadiums set to open in coming weeks. They've also jacked up ticket prices; check out the Mets' five-tiered pricing scheme if you want a kick in the balls. But in the AIG era of unemployment and recession, will New Yorkers embrace their new baseball cathedrals, especially for two teams that failed to make the playoffs in '08?

Let's face it: Shea Stadium had been coasting on the notoriety of that '65 Beatles concert for far too long. It's been replaced by Citi Field, which was designed to evoke memories of Ebbets Field, legendary home of the Brooklyn Dodgers (sorry, Polo Grounds). Factoring in all the construction costs and tax subsidies, it cost around $800 million, according to the Mets.

Life was relatively controversy-free for Citi Field, until the bailouts started. "I think that it's crappy that they're building Citi Field when [Citigroup] just got a multibillion-dollar bailout from the government," says Lisette Johnson of Williamsburg. "Call it Taxpayer Field. Call it Lisette Johnson Field. That's fine." Johnson doesn't think a new field was necessary anyway, given that 44-year-old Shea was relatively young compared to, say, Wrigley Field in Chicago (built in 1914).

Yankee Stadium

Photograph: Virginia Rollison

The Yankees' plan was even more controversial. The Bronx Bombers wanted a new stadium for years before finding compliant public officials in the borough and City Hall. With their help, the Yankees secured 22 acres of public parkland to build their new home. The city plans to construct eight smaller parks in the area (one with fake grass on top of a parking garage, another in a flood plain), some of which won't be open for years. When you add up construction costs, the garage plan and the tax breaks, the Yankees project cost as much as $2 billion (hundreds of millions from you, John Q. Public), according to stadium watchdog organization Field of Schemes (fieldofschemes.com).

Some Yankees fans are pumped for the new stadium, which was built to resemble the look of the team's last ballpark before it was remodeled in the 1970s. "I'm always excited for a new stadium," says Bryan Keefer of the Lower East Side. He enjoys visiting new stadiums and has seen 15 or so around the country. "There are a lot of expensive free agents that [the Yankees] bought, so hopefully they'll be worth the money."—Michael P. Ventura

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