Empty Seats in Baseball's Opening Week

Darren Rovell, sports business reporter for CNBC (and a former ESPN reporter), makes the most of using Twitter. With over 10,000 tweets and over 70,000 followers, his combination of insight and fan interaction makes following his Twitter feed a necessity.

Recently, Rovell asked fans to either send or re-tweet photos from empty MLB stadiums from this past week. Among the usual stadium suspects: Camden Yards (Orioles), Rogers Centre (Blue Jays), Progressive Field (Indians), Sun Life Stadium (Marlins).

The Rogers Centre in Toronto. Just over 11,000 fans showed up

to see the Jays beat the Athletics. The Jays are 4-1 this season.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Less than 13,000 fans showed

as the Orioles lost to the Detroit Tigers. The Orioles are also 4-1 this season.

Empty seats at Cleveland's Progressive Field. Last night, less than

10,000 fans showed up. The team is averaging around 15,000 fans through 5 home games.

Unfortunately for MLB, which predicted an increase in attendance this season, these showings have put a damper on some of the robust ticket sales for teams like the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and the reigning World Series champions San Francisco Giants. Worse yet, even teams like the Chicago Cubs are struggling in their attendance figures during their series against the Diamondbacks. And while some sportswriters have blamed the winter weather and others have blamed technology, namely improvements and availability of TV and Internet broadcasts, Rovell is blaming the teams.

We'll see how the attendance story develops over the course of the season, especially if teams like the Orioles and Blue Jays can keep winning. In the meantime, the following picture, perhaps, sums up the attendance potential lurking in Washington, D.C.

Uniform sighting from the opening series at Nationals Park.

Sorry, Nationals fans. You'll have to wait for #37, the phenom Stephen Strasburg - at least six more months. His impact - "the Strasburg Effect" - could surely come in handy for boosting attendance all by himself.

New York Stadium Documentary

The following is an internet documentary from the blog Internets Celebrities, a tandem of bloggers and a videographer who seek to "expose all sorts of injustice - economic, political, and culinary."  Their most recent effort takes aim at the two brand new baseball stadiums that opened to the Yankees and Mets, respectively, last year.

In the film, they talk to noted stadium critic, and author of the excellent blog Field of Schemes, Neil deMause, and make general observations on how crazy it is to spend billions on stadia.  Enjoy.

Stadium Status from Internets Celebrities on Vimeo.

The new Marlins Stadium officially goes off the deep end

The soon-to-be Miami Marlins are installing two custom-built saltwater aquariums in the facade of their field level wall, to the right and left of each team's dugout.  For protection, the aquariums will be constructed with bullet-proof glass, so there's no chance of a Dan Uggla foul ball destroying any precious Florida-area marine life.  Plus, destroying Florida-area marine life is BP's job.

Why watch the Marlins when you can watch smaller fish just swim around?

The new $515 million stadium will also feature lounging and pool areas in left-centerfield, a water feature in straight-away centerfield, and a some kind of $2.5 million art feature that will be used to celebrate the team's home runs.

Currently unnamed and unknown centerfield water feature.

It's an arcade-like design and the marlins will, purportedly,

jump after each Marlins' home run.

While it doesn't justify the price tag, there is no doubt that projects like these will make the new stadium one of the most intriguing facilities in Major League Baseball.  Aquariums in the field of play...what will they think of next?

The Most Watched Nationals Game Ever?

ESPN started its Stephen Strasburg coverage this morning and will begin pre-game coverage of the pitching sensation's (and top pick in the 2009 draft) MLB debut at 3.30pm this afternoon on a special edition of Baseball Tonight.  Local cable network MASN will also deliver additional pre-game coverage with a special one hour edition of Nats Xtra.  That show begins at 6pm.

ESPN is giddy.

Considering that Nationals Park sold out within two hours of the team announcement of Strasburg's first MLB start and that over 200 media credentials have been passed out (three times more than normal), it is safe to say that tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates is - by far - the biggest game ever in Washington Nationals history.

Tonight's game will be just the second sellout for the Nationals this season - a fact made more special because weeknight games are usually tough draws for any MLB home game.  Currently the Nationals are 24th (out of 30 teams) in the league in home game attendance.  

Nationals Park will, undoubtedly, not look like this tonight.

The only other game to sellout at Nationals Park this year?  Opening day, when current U.S. president Barack Obama threw out the first pitch.

Creating the bond between city identity and team

Exhibit A, regarding the new logo for the Portland Timbers, set to join Major League Soccer in 2011:

Creating that bond is, obviously, crucial to ensuring the team's viability.  Considering that the city of Portland has given $31 million to upgrade the Timbers' PGE Stadium, one might suggest that there is a lot of (local) vested interest in the new MLS franchise's success.

The redeveloped PGE Stadium won't be brand new, but it will have 

character, charm, and a downtown location.

Turns out that PGE Stadium - in its various incarnations - is an 85-year-old facility whose eccentricity lies in the fact that it has been used as a football, baseball, and soccer stadium during its lifetime.  Rather than redevelop the stadium to mirror the likes of Red Bull Arena or Toyota Park, the J-shaped, downtown PGE Stadium will rely on a quirkiness that the team hopes will draw on the familiarity of older stadiums and, thus, become the MLS-version of Fenway Park or Lambeau Field.

New Philadelphia-area MLS Stadium almost ready

The stadium, located 15 miles from the center of Philly in Chester, Pennsylvania, is getting close to being completed.

You know what they say about waterfront property.

Even better news according to the MLS Insider blog and the Philadelphia Business Journal, the Philadelphia Union - who will make the new facility, dubbed PPL Park, their home - have sold out their limited allotment of 12,000 season ticket plans for the 2010 season.  I'm certain that a large number of those season tickets have been sold to the fan support group, the Sons of Ben (as in, Franklin), which already boasts over 5,000 members.

The stadium will apparently have a special entrance for the Sons of Ben.

 
The team decided to cap the number of season tickets in the 18,500-seat stadium so that single-game and walk-up tickets could be sold for home matches.  The stadium is slated to debut on Sunday, June 27th, when the Union take on the Seattle Sounders at 5 pm on ESPN2.

And both MLS and the team expect the new building to be filled to capacity throughout the remainder of the home schedule.  Why?  Because the Union - in their two home matches in Lincoln Financial Field - have drawn 34,870 (for the franchise debut) and 25,038 (for a game against FC Dallas last week) fans.

The team has already had good support at cavernous

Lincoln Financial Field.

Seems like a good start for MLS in Philadelphia, but it remains to be seen whether the new stadium will be the locus of job creation and neighborhood revitalization that both the league and team promised.

Could the Jets really be blacked out this season?

I've had a busy week away from TES, but I couldn't help taking note of the following bombshell dropped on Jets fans this week.  If the more than 10,000 PSLs for Jets seats in the new Meadowlands Stadium aren't sold by the first week of the 2010 NFL season, there could be Jets blackouts in the New York metro area.  Many of the unsold seats are located in the non-club seat sections of the stadium's lower bowl, with PSL prices between $4,000 and $20,000.

Plenty of ugly gray seats still available

But can you believe it!??! Blackouts!  In New York!  For a team that made it to the conference championship game last season.  For what it's worth, Jets owner Woody Johnson insists that the blackouts won't happen...but there is a slight chance that Johnson could wind up paying for a few of the remaining PSLs himself, in order to ensure the team makes it onto television.

So, just how desperate is Johnson to get these seats sold?  Check out the latest incredible offer from Jets brass sent to season ticket holders who have not yet purchased a PSL: no money down on a new PSL, free parking, and - get this - the pièce de résistance...a free DVD of the 2009 Jets season.  That Woody Johnson, a real closer.

Never doubt the passion of 20,000 hockey-mad Montrealers...

By defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight by a score of 5-2, the Montreal Canadiens became just the second 8-seed to advance past the first round of the NHL playoffs (the Canadiens were just the 9th number 8-seed to advance past the first round).

The only other team to do it?  The 2005-2006 Edmonton Oilers, who ran a hot streak past the Red Wings, Sharks, and Mighty Ducks to reach the '06 Stanley Cup Finals.  The Oilers ended up losing that series to the Carolina Hurricanes (the Eastern Conference's number 2-seed) in seven games.

However, not even the Oilers can share in the incredulousness of the Canadiens' run because, by beating the Capitals in the first round and the Penguins in the second, the Canadiens defeated the President's Trophy winners and the defending Stanley Cup Champions in successive series.  And that's never been done by an 8-seed in the NHL playoffs.  Ever.

Canadiens fans inside the Bell Center celebrate a first period goal 

against the Penguins on Wednesday night.  Or maybe they just found out 

they could save up to 15% on their car insurance by switching to Geico.

As a result of tonight's victory in Pittsburgh, I'm sure the 20,000 fans who packed the Bell Centre in Montreal are going bananas.  That's right, tonight's game was a sellout hundreds of miles away in Montreal, where the Bell Centre sold out for fans willing to watch the game on the arena's Jumbotron.  According to this report from CTV, the Bell Centre sold out in about 40 minutes.  Tickets were sold by the team for $10 a piece, but scalpers reported that values had increased to about $40-50 at game time.

They love their hockey in Montreal but, in fairness, that is a 

pretty decent-sized HD screen.

When I see something like this, where a team can fill a stadium without even playing in it, I think about the power of sports - and also the power of media.  Because it's not everyday you can attend an NHL-viewing house party with 20,000 of your craziest hockey friends.

The Minnesota Twins are providing a history lesson...

After moving from a sterile space (the Metrodome), the Twins now have a place "with a soul," says one official.  One of the many, many examples is the team's lineup video introduction.  It provides a walk through the team's history - especially its outdoors legacy - and even uses some snappy CGI microfiche.

Interesting stuff.

World Record Crowd for Hockey Game

In Germany yesterday, the Veltins-Arena set the record for the largest crowd ever for a hockey game, hosting over 77,000 fans for an opening round game - between Germany and the U.S. - of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship (it's like the Olympic tournament, but with fewer stars - since the NHL playoffs are underway - and more advertising).  The Germans, backed by a raucous crowd, won in overtime by a score of 2-1.

The stadium, located in the city of Gelsenkirchen, hosted several soccer games during the 2006 World Cup and is the permanent host of Bundesliga club Schalke 04, currently in second place in league play.

I'm impressed, mostly because 77k is a lot of people to watch an opening round game.

Major League Soccer Expands into Canada (Again)

Today, Major League Soccer announced its 19th franchise, an expansion team based in Montreal.  Canada's second largest city, however, will not be starting from scratch.  Currently, the Montreal Impact, a club whose existence goes back nearly two decades, play in the the highest minor league division for professional soccer in the US/Canada.  They were champions of that league last season.

Even better for MLS, the Impact already play in a relatively new (opened in 2008) soccer-specific stadium.  That facility, Saputo Stadium, will be upgraded for the switch to MLS in 2012.  Bonus: Saputo Stadium has a natural grass surface.

The Impact will use Montreal's Olympic Stadium (foreground) 

for select home matches.

The Impact's addition to MLS means that when they join the league in 2012, there will be three Canadian-based squads in the league (Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps).  And, already, there is a tense rivalry between these teams (there is a natural city rivalry between Montreal and Toronto), having met in various cup matches and lower-division games.  Moving Montreal and Vancouver to the MLS will only enhance these north-of-the-border rivalries.

In fact, I'm thinking that the tri-city Canadian rivalry could potentially be one of the most contentious in the entire league.  At current moment, the only intense rivalry (described as "these two teams really don't like each other") in MLS is between Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy (the teams share a stadium in Carson City, CA).  But, when Portland and Vancouver join the MLS in 2011, many expect a natural rivalry to develop between those two cities and Seattle, home of Sounders FC and the largest crowds in MLS.

All of these current and future rivalries overshadow what should be the league's most potent rivalry division with the teams located in New York, New England, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.  Unfortunately, the rivalry between New York and D.C. has never fully blossomed because both teams have struggled in recent seasons.  The league is hoping that New York and Philadelphia could bloom into a "mega-rivalry," but because the Union are in just their first year of play in MLS, a true rivalry will take time.

In all, expansion into soccer-friendly markets and soccer-specific stadiums is a natural evolution for MLS.  Though it remains to be seen whether the Canadian clubs will come to dominate, they will clearly be a boon for the league if only by providing some of the league's most dramatic match-ups.

The opportunity for ESPN this summer in South Africa

South Africa and FIFA have assembled an impressive collection of stadiums for use this summer in the upcoming World Cup.  Four, in particular, are especially impressive.  They are the Mbombela Stadium, the Green Point Stadium, the Durban Stadium, and the Soccer City Stadium.  Of those four, the Soccer City stadium is the only renovated facility while the rest are brand new and ready just in time for the World Cup's opening kick on June 11th.  For context, here are some photos:

Mbombela Stadium

Green Point Stadium

Durban Stadium

Soccer City Stadium

With ESPN (and other global networks) providing an unprecedented amount of coverage of this year's World Cup, I simply want to receive coverage of the games, but also the real (financial, cultural, or otherwise) impact of the games on the country and people of South Africa.  So, to start, this commercial is laying it on pretty thick.

Ok, ESPN needs to hype the event and grab viewers (although that, as we saw in 2006, shouldn't be a problem).  But, I will be disappointed (like blog, The Offside Rules) if we hear nothing about the continuing human rights violations taking place in South Africa as a direct result of the World Cup.

For instance, just 12 miles from Cape Town's $585 million Green Point Stadium lies a "temporary relocation area" known as Blikkiesdorp or "Tin Can Town."  A British photographer recently published a news article in order to publicize what is basically an apartheid camp for about 15,000 people displaced because government officials did not want them surrounding Cape Town's impressive new stadium.

Tin Can Town outside Cape Town, South Africa.

According to the photographer, who doubles as an eviction activist, Blikkiesdorp is a place where you have no address (and thus, rarely can find employment), no schooling, and no health services.  This is just the tip of the iceberg, however, as food is scarce, health problems are pervasive, and a 10 p.m. curfew is maintained by armed police.

Now, the facilities here, our photographer admits, "If you compare Blikkiesdorp with slums like the ones the residents lived in before, it might look better at first." "But," he continues, "when you go there and see the oppression, you think you'd rather be somewhere with life, where you can go out after 10, cook outside, build, [and] have a registered address."

Armored police vehicles patrol the perimeter of Blikkiesdorp.

His photos were supplemented earlier this month by UK newspaper The Guardian, which chronicled Tin Can Town with input from residents.  One such resident described it thusly,

"It's a dumping place.  They took people from the streets because they don't want them in the city for the World Cup.  Now we are living in a concentration camp.  It's like the devil runs this place.  We have no freedom.  The police come at night and beat adults and children.  South Africa isn't showing the world what it's doing to its people.  It only shows the World Cup."

And another resident sums up the situation poignantly, "I know we were moved because of the World Cup.  They don't want people to see shacks on the road in South Africa.  They want everything perfect for the World Cup."

If the South African government (and/or FIFA) thinks it right to make these people invisible, then I hope that ESPN puts some of those E:60 reporters to good use to bring these kinds of images and stories to light.  Because even if Bono proudly narrates in the advertisement above that "it's not about human rights," in Blikkiesdorp, it most certainly is.

Obstructed Views and an Orr Jersey

So, how about that new stadium in the Meadowlands?  I hope your endzone seat doesn't look like this:

Was that a touchdown?

According to the New York Post, however, these seats will be removed, so that's a relief.  In completely unrelated news, an incredibly rare hockey item sold at auction this past Friday - for almost $200k.  What was the item?  None other than a game-worn Bobby Orr rookie jersey.  Boom!

What jerseys should(?)/used to look like.

Sold by the auction site Heritage Auctions, who called it "the Holy Grail of hockey collectibles," the jersey is one of only two that has survived since Orr's rookie season in 1966-1967.  

However, if you're looking for the a-ha moment, I can assure you there's nothing to connect the new stadium with Bobby Orr's sweat-stained old jersey.  It's been a busy week (already!), so you'll have to forgive me for just a couple rapid-fire entries that capture my attention.

Another new stadium project in Los Angeles

For the past several years, California real estate mogul Ed Roski has held the keys to a highly-developed stadium concept in the city of Industry, CA - just twenty or so miles east of downtown Los Angeles.  Keen to build the $800 million stadium - without guarantees of an NFL team even moving there - Roski's plan has hovered above those NFL teams with ideas of relocation or, at least, leveraging the possibility of relocation into new taxpayer-funded facilities (see: Buffalo, Minnesota, Jacksonville, St. Louis).

The sprawling Industry, CA stadium plan is already popular.

In just the past few days, however, Roski's monopoly on a Los Angeles-area football stadium plan has dissolved.  Although Roski possesses the only "cleared to build" stadium permit for the LA area, there are now rumors that the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) is looking to build a billion-dollar retractible roof stadium in downtown Los Angeles.  Led by LA businessmen Casey Wasserman and AEG CEO - and Roski's former business partner - Tim Leiweke, the new facility would be built directly adjacent to the Staples Center, in the heart of AEG's redeveloped sports entertainment district, LA Live.

Since there is only room for one LA-area stadium project, these two bids could go up against each other mighty soon.  Even though Roski is much farther ahead in terms of a time frame, the downtown project could get the upper-hand because, with a roof, it could host Final Fours, Super Bowls, Pro Bowls, the NFL Draft, the NFL scouting combine, boxing matches, potential World Cup games in 2022, and a host of other high-profile events.  And, all things being equal, according to industry insiders, the NFL would prefer the downtown option.

LA Live, pictured above, could play host to four major franchises

if a new NFL stadium is built adjacent to the Staples Center.

So, which team is most likely to consider the LA option?  According to SportsByBrooks, that team is the San Diego Chargers.  With Qualcomm Stadium aging (and - according to some - in a state of obsolescence given contemporary NFL stadiums) and a battle to procure public funding for a new stadium looming, could the Chargers be that desperate?  Or is this just another means of providing leverage for owner Alex Spanos?

One other significant connection to the potential downtown stadium includes Stan Kroenke, a member of the Los Angeles Stadium Working Group committee, and current owner of 40% of the St. Louis Rams.  Kroenke, who is privy to all the details of building a stadium in the Los Angeles area, is also trying to obtain full ownership rights to the St. Louis Rams (after he exercised his right-for-refusal over an outside bid to buy the Rams.  An outside bid, mind you, that Kroenke demanded pay him a fee of between $50-$100 million to, simply, get out of the way).

This move to purchase the Rams outright is currently being blocked by the NFL, who prohibits their owners from owning teams - albeit in different leagues - in competing markets.  In addition to his 40% stake in the NFL's Rams, Kroenke owns principal stakes in the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), the Denver Nuggets (NBA), and the Colorado Rapids (MLS).  All reports suggest that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will eventually prohibit Kroenke from 100% ownership of the Rams.

This man, and his mustache, could be moving the Rams back to Los Angeles.

An interesting connection especially given the upcoming NFL draft, where the St. Louis Rams have the first pick.  Could Kroenke be setting the stage for a move to Los Angeles in the near future?  Probably won't get mentioned on the ESPN telecast, as the network looks to add some glitz and glamor to the event, broadcasting it in prime time on Thursday night for the first time ever.

In fact, the NFL and ESPN have put in extra work to ensure that this Thursday's event is the most glamourous in the entire 30-year televised history of the NFL draft.  Not only will both networks televise red-carpet pre-shows outside of Radio City Music Hall, but as ESPN producer Jay Rothman states, "there's a strong effort by the league to have more glam."  The sentiment was echoed by NFL network producer Eric Weinberger, who said "It's up to the NFL, NFLN, and ESPN to make it more of an awards show, a huge entertainment atmosphere."  According to one NFL executive, "We started meeting earlier than ever before...to try and build the biggest draft of all time."

First, what does that mean and second, do we really need more "glam" in the NFL draft?  To answer the former, there will be more celebrities on the show (Whoopi, Alyssa Milano), former NFL players announcing late-round picks (featuring the Jaguars' Tony Boselli and the Giants' Mark Bavaro), a more "conscious effort to concentrate on that moment when [draftees] are picked, and crying and hugging their families," cameras in prospects' homes and NFL "war rooms," etc.

As for the latter, I can't make much sense out of piling more "glam" into such an anti-climactic event.  But with all the emphasis on spectacle and star power, perhaps it's just the latest example of the NFL's increasing attempts to create "event television" (see: Miami Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, the last five years of the NFL combine).  Which, to me, makes it only a matter of time before an NFL team returns to the ultimate home of glitz and glam - the nexus of celebrity and spectacle -  Los Angeles, California.  The only question left: which team will it be?

Big Crowds in Phoenix and Small Gatherings in Camden Yards

Considering I've been following the Phoenix Coyotes some this season, I did enjoy watching their return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.  No matter what is currently happening with the soap opera that is the Coyotes ownership situation, a sellout crowd of (mostly) Coyotes fans did their part last night, filling the Jobing.com Arena with a the oh-so-popular whiteout.  The atmosphere - a some 17,000 "loud and boisterous" fans packed the arena - had to have energized the upstart Coyotes, who beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 to take the opening game of the 7-game series.

Derek Morris after scoring the 3rd period goal that gave the Coyotes the lead.

And yes, someone threw a rubber snake on the ice after the first Coyotes goal.  It was only fair, however, as an octopi was thrown onto the ice during pre-game warm-ups.

Small, but it's a start.

As a polar opposite, earlier this week, the Baltimore Orioles played a game in Camden Yards in front of the smallest crowd in that ballpark's history: a paltry 9,129 fans.  Those few in attendance could not have left happy, as they witnessed the O's drop a 5-1 decision to the Tampa Bay Rays to fall to 1-6 on the season.  According to The Baltimore Sun, the crowd for that game on Monday was the first sub-10k attendance in 19 years of Camden Yards' existence.  It's so small a number, that I hate to say the word crowd; I prefer "gathering."

Phelps took in the game with a (very) few fellow Orioles' fans.

The number was so pitiful that one Sun sportswriter felt it necessary to ask his readers whether Camden Yards "is still worth visiting."  It's so small and so sad, that even USA Today has taken notice with the headline: "Hate Crowds? Go to Camden Yards."  To put it in perspective, Monday night's gathering was the lowest attendance for any ballpark in MLB this season.  Yes, that includes everyone's favorite MLB-punching bag, the attendance figures at PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Even the lowly Pirates have yet to dip below the 10,000 fan mark at home this season.

And yet, there are a few excuses from Orioles' director of Communication Greg Bader.  Namely, the Orioles don't draw very well...

• on Mondays in April, 
• in games against Tampa Bay in April, 
• on the first couple games after opening day, and

...well, they just don't draw very well, period.  After 12 straight losing seasons, even the players understand the fans aren't coming.  For the Sun story, Kevin Millwood opined, "You've got to play good.  If you will ballgames, they'll come." (As an FYI, Phoenix is a perfect example of how true that maxim is.  In early November, I blogged about a Coyotes home game that drew just under 6,000 fans).

Let's hope so.  After several seasons of continuous sell-outs in the 1990s (with season attendance figures averaging over 45,000 per game in 1997), Camden Yards has, sadly, fallen from grace.  I can only hope that there are brighter days for O's fans ahead.  Because unlike Joe Namath, I actually do care about the team strug-a-ling.

It's True, Everything is Bigger in Texas

Design drawings were unveiled today for the construction of a new high school football stadium in Texas that is slated to cost $60 million.  The stadium project is for Allen High School, one of the largest secondary schools in the state of Texas, located in one of the wealthiest areas of suburban Dallas.

The stadium is just one (albeit, huge) part of a $120 million bond package, which included $23.3 million for a performing arts center, that passed a town vote in May of 2009 by a 26-percentage-point margin.  Apparently, the money used for both projects is strictly confined to capital improvement projects and, lest you think the money would be better spent elsewhere, cannot be implemented for general education purposes.

The $120 million package does not include the cost of the blimp 
needed to take this shot.

The current facilities at Allen High include an 8,000 capacity stadium (temporarily expandable to 14,000 seats) that was built in the 1970s and a climate-controlled indoor activities center that has 50 yards worth of football practice space.

The current Eagle Stadium which, for what it's worth, is notoriously

difficult for opposing teams.

According to this report from the county school district, the new stadium will be an 18,000 seat facility with reserved and general admission seating areas, a two-level press box, two scoreboards, a wall of honor, and an upper deck.  Amid concerns that this kind of stadium - and the its cost - would raise eyebrows across America, Tim Carroll, public information director for the district, noted that "(The cost) may appear high to other parts of the country, but it compares to what people are doing here.  It becomes an economy of scale."  Thank you, Jerry Jones.

Reserved sections seats will be sold as season tickets.

In all, the project is slated to be completed sometime in 2012, proving once again that everything - from high school football to history - is a little bit different in Texas.

Stadium Dogs and Snakes on the Ice?

Yesterday, the Minnesota Twins opened their new downtown stadium by beating the visiting Boston Red Sox by a score of 5-2.  Foreshadowed by my earlier post this week, the reception for the new digs was unsurprisingly positive from both media and fans: "state-of-the-art," "an intimate palace," "stunning," "a fantastic place,""top of the line,"and - interestingly given the product placement below - "a bull's eye."

While I was taking in the game via ESPN's online video feed, I couldn't help but take note of a very interesting viral placement, as noted by SportsByBrooks, in the stadium:

That's none other than Target mascot Bullseye sitting in a premium seat ($275) behind home plate.  The best news about having a dog it in a $275 seat?  Apparently, he lasted for just the first half-inning.  At this point, it should go without saying that Target is the title sponsor of the new stadium - adding the baseball field to their sponsorship stable, which includes downtown-Minneapolis' Target Center.

To be fair, there is a lot more going on at Target Field than dogs perched in the stands.  The following video piece from a local television station does a nice job reporting on the many historical elements of the park - especially those cultivated by Twins curator Clyde Doepner.  The collection on display at the stadium is first class.

As for the other animal development in the sports world this week, I am making specific reference to a development surrounding the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes.  No, there are no Coyotes on the loose in Glendale, Arizona. Follow the jump to see what exactly I'm talking about...

Big City Lacrosse and an [even] bigger Stadium

Of all the sports stories I've broached in the 4 or 5 months of TES existence, I've never felt the need to mention college lacrosse - until now.

The New Meadowlands Stadium opened with college lacrosse, in what

officials are calling a "soft open," to prepare for...you guessed it...a Bon Jovi concert.

Why, you ask?  Well, because this past Saturday a college lacrosse event officially opened the new Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey.  The future home to the NFL's Giants and Jets, the stadium played host to a triple-header of top-notch lacrosse action in an event known as the Konica Minolta Big City Classic.  The three games featured two-time defending national champions Syracuse squaring off against Princeton, tenth-ranked Hofstra meeting Colonial Athletic Association rival Delaware, and a meeting between the nation's last two undefeated men's lacrosse teams: the number-one ranked Virginia Cavaliers and the number-two ranked North Carolina Tarheels.

No. 1 rule for playing defense in college lacrosse?  Throw off your 

opponent by yelling, "Say hi to your mother for me."

Syracuse, Hofstra, and Virginia were the winners on the day, but, by setting the record for the largest crowd to ever watch regular season college lacrosse - with 25,710 - and opening the $1.6 billion facility, the second annual Big City Classic was a victory for the sport of lacrosse (the inaugural BCC was played in Giants Stadium in 2009).

Interestingly, the KMBCC is not the only event-oriented NCAA lacrosse double/triple-headers taking part in an NFL stadium this season.  Back in March, the college lacrosse season opened at M&T Bank Stadium with the Konica Minolta Face Off Classic.  In its fourth year of existence, the KMFOC drew 19,742 fans to the Baltimore Ravens' home field to watch Maryland, Duke, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame and Loyola take part in afternoon action.

This upcoming weekend the M&T Bank Stadium will again play host to college lacrosse for the second annual Smartlink Day of Rivals.  Army and Navy will play the first game and Maryland and Johns Hopkins will conclude the double-header under the lights (game time is set for 6.30 pm).

Returning to the new Meadowlands Stadium, how did the new building fare in its debut?  Well, there were a few hiccups: Jets owner Woody Johnson was puzzled when the elevator to his suite never came, parking attendants couldn't direct fans to the proper lots, and concessions stand offerings were scaled back.  One stadium official, when asked whether concessions were being sold beyond the concourse level, simply replied, "I don't think so.  Maybe.  It's the first day.  No one really knows what's going on."

For his part, Jets owner Johnson was optimistic: "This building is still a couple years away from really being completed.  This place is still evolving, but I love the way it looks.  This is ten years' worth of work.  But we're still getting ready."  Why is it a couple years away from being completed?  What's left to do?  And what does Johnson mean by "still evolving" --- have the rats not entered the building yet?

"Still evolving?"  That kind of talk can get you in trouble 

with creationist Jets fans.

Fan reactions varied.  One 25-year Giants season ticket holder told the New York Daily News that he thought the new digs have "less of a Giants feel to it," and are "way too neutral for me."  However, another Giants fan was so impressed by the facility that he thinks "the players are going to play better in a place like this."

We know that's not possible in new Major League Baseball stadiums, no matter how much leagues try to convince fans that new facilities can improve on-field play - as outlined by this blog on Field of Schemes.  But analyzing the discourse of recent stadium openings - like the new Yankee and Dallas Cowboys stadiums, or more recently, the Minnesota Twins new ballpark (here and here) - makes me wonder if the new Meadowlands Stadium will be met with the same unabashed media kudos.  The minor glitches from the KMBCC aside, the new stadium has to please both Giants and Jets fans - a task that appears surprisingly complex.

We'll have an opportunity to survey the grand opening in September, when the Giants and Jets host their season-opening games in the new stadium on consecutive days.  However, I expect that no matter how "evolved" the stadium is at that point, the media perspective on the new stadium will come up smelling roses.  For what might not get covered, follow this post after the jump...

Are you interested in (World) cup size upgrade?

So, what happens when you're hosting the World Cup in three months and you've yet to sell out the tickets for all of the matches?

Even worse, you're not just a few short, but more like 650,000 short.  With 2.95 million tickets available, that's 22% of tickets for the World Cup unsold - just four short years after Germany received almost 5 times as many ticket requests as seats (15 million applications :: 3.4 million seats).

Built on top of a former gold mine, will Johannesburg's Soccer City 

Stadium be a quarter empty come June?

Even (more?) worse, of the 570,000 total tickets you allocated to countries playing in the World Cup, almost 330,000 are still unsold; so, about 58% of the people you invited to your party have opted to stay at home and watch in 3-D rather than brave adverse conditions in South Africa like unfinished roads, insufficient electricity for stadiums, taxi driver protests, and elevated levels of violent crime.  Of course, if these stay-cationers really wanted to make the trip to South Africa, they could have figured something out - like, say, hire Canadian bodyguards.

No, they're not that kind of Canadian bodyguards.

Let me just reiterate that this kind of thing is completely unprecedented for a World Cup and so, the question remains, what are you to do?  The first thing?  Don't panic.  And South African government officials are holding firm.  Gauteng (the country's most populous province and home to 3 World Cup Stadiums) Premier Nomvula Mokonyane has insisted that the country is ready:

"In spite of negative reports emanating from known and unknown sources hell-bent on besmirching the image of our country.  I am confident that South Africa is ready to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup....We are a country that is intolerant of crime, a country that is prepared to make sure that this World Cup becomes a legacy.  Believe us, we have gone an extra mile compared to other countries that have hosted."

Men on horseback patrol outside the Cape Town Stadium as part of

a security test on Monday.  Comforted yet?

The second?  Get creative. According to the Wall Street Journal, while government officials are looking to up the visitor turnout to South Africa by trying to rein in backpacker groups and Christian evangelists who would be "eager to speak to large crowds of soccer fans," some local businesses are coming up with their own ideas.

One solution from a cosmetic surgery center in Cape Town: offer breast enhancement packages complete with accommodations and transportation to World Cup matches.  Surgical Bliss in Cape Town, which is known for their medical tourism, takes pride in combining plastic surgery visits with "amazing holiday opportunities" that the area offers.  According to Times of India, the World Cup package is designed to entice more female fans to tournament and, in total, costs about $9000.

Over 130,000 American fans have already bought tickets for the World Cup - second only to the host nation South Africa.  No word yet on whether the intriguing offer from Surgical Bliss will help boost - among other things - that number.