Citi Field vs. Yankee Stadium: The Blow-by-Blow Breakdown

I may be one of a few people to make it into both Citi Field and Yankee Stadium in 2009. Let’s take an unbiased look at the two stadiums and choose a winner in a variety of categories that make up attending a baseball game.

Pricing
We’ve all heard the complaints about the Yankee ticket prices and rightfully so. $2,000+ for a ticket is absurd, but the Mets aren’t exactly bargain basement deals. Parking is very similar – $18 dollars at Citi Field, $19 at Yankee Stadium – so neither fan is getting a break here.

The Mets get the nod here simply because they don’t charge as much money for a ticket.

Citi Field 1 – Yankee Stadium 0

Seating
For a “state of the art” stadium, you would think they would be designed with great viewing angles and perfect sight lines. You’d be wrong. In a bunch of places all around the two stadiums there are obstructed views. Most notable in Yankee Stadium are the bleacher seats blocked by the Mohegan Sun restaurant in center field. From certain seats, you wouldn’t be able to see right field, center field or even first base.

Citi Field isn’t much better. Most of the upper deck seats in the outfield prohibit you from seeing the wall in the section you are in. In left field, all the way at the back of the sections, you’re also obstructed by the out of town scoreboard. An unconfirmed report has TVs being installed behind the scoreboard, but I can’t verify.

Neither are perfect, which is surprising, but Citi Field takes this round as well.

Citi Field 2 – Yankee Stadium 0

Surrounding Area
This is pretty much a no-brainer. Yankee Stadium is not in the greatest neighborhood in the world, but I don’t think you can get much worse than the area around Citi Field. I don’t think you could visit all the tire shops in the vicinity if you spent your whole life there.

Easily, Yankee Stadium wins this match up.

Citi Field 2 – Yankee Stadium 1

Visual
If you think your plasma TV at home is big, wait until you make it out to the stadiums. These things are massive. The two main scoreboards at Citi Field are very nice, but they’re dwarfed by the number and size of the ones at Yankee Stadium. Four giant screens (three in centerfield, one in the Great Hall) play a variety of different things from the replays of the game to between-inning entertainment.

The ones in Citi Field are nice, but Yankee Stadium edges out the win.

Citi Field 2 – Yankee Stadium 2

Food
Obviously both games that I attended worked at test runs for the new stadium, but there was a clear winner in the food category. Yankee Stadium make take the edge if we were basing on quantity, but quality wise, Citi wins outright.

At Citi Field, I first grabbed a cheeseburger to munch on as we wandered the stadium. It was perfectly cooked, with the cheese melted just right, and tasted delicious. The first food I got at Yankee Stadium was a chicken finger and French fry combo. The four measly chicken strips I got were cold and chewy. The fries were practically frozen. Throw in a drink, the first round of food set me back $15.50 at Yankee Stadium. Citi Field’s hamburger cost a mere $5.75

The next food purchased at Citi Field was a pulled pork sandwich. For $9, it was a bit overpriced but perfectly cooked on a sesame seed bun. I got a pretzel at Yankee Stadium and it was cold and hard. Thumbs down.

Citi Field with an easy victory.

Citi Field 3 – Yankee Stadium 2

Bathrooms
I’m a guy, so I only got to experience one set of bathrooms (Sorry, Ladies!). The urinals at Citi Field are awesome and futuristic. The ones at Yankee Stadium were old and flushed by hand.

The design, at least in the bathroom I was in, was much better at the Mets new home. In one door, do your thing, wash your hands and out the other door. Yankee Stadium, though, ended up having lines spilling into the concourse because no one knew there was another section of urinals and sinks further into the bathroom. Also, same door to enter and exit made things a little cramped for those waiting in line.

It may be overlooked by some, but Citi Field has the advantage in the toilets.

Citi Field 4 – Yankee Stadium 2

History
It all boils down to this: The Yankees have a colorful history to celebrate while the Mets don’t.

Monument park is beautiful, as it pays homage to all the old Yankees who have made the franchise what it is today. The Mets, on the other hand, pay homage to a player who made great strides for baseball, but never played for their team. I’m talking, of course, about the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. While beautiful and meaningful, Robinson never donned the orange and blue, making the honor that much more confusing.

Yankee Stadium takes this one down easily.

Citi Field 4 – Yankee Stadium 3

Ambiance
The whole point of going to the stadium is to watch baseball. You want to go and experience the game with your fellow fans and (hopefully) watch your team earn a victory.

For that, I’m calling this a draw. It’s too early to tell how each stadium will play, how the fans will connect to the players and how the whole shebang will play out. You can’t foresee how the stadium will sound in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and two runners on with the home team down by one. It’s something that will come with time.

It’s a draw.

Citi Field 4 – Yankee Stadium 3

Attractions/Extras
You might be there for the game, but you also want to get your money’s worth. There’s often more to the game than just the play on the field, and for that the Mets are going to walk away with a victory.

They have a kiddie area, batting cages and a dunk tank, among other things. The stores in both stadiums are nice, but they cancel each other out. If you’re going with kids, they’re going to want to play, not watch a baseball game for three hours. You might be able to keep them entertained at Citi Field. Best of luck at Yankee Stadium.

Citi Field 5 – Yankee Stadium 3

FINAL: Citi Field 5 — Yankee Stadium 3
Overall, both parks are absolutely beautiful, and the fans of each stadium are going to absolutely love the new parks. Yankee Stadium pays a wonderful homage to the original (maybe too much so) and Yankee fans will immediately feel at home. Citi Field is something new and special for Mets fans that spent way too much time in the cookie-cutter Shea Stadium.

In no way does this mean that Yankee Stadium is bad, but Citi Field creates a more all-around enjoyable experience for the fans in attendance.

Topics: Citi Field, Mets, Yankee Stadium, Yankees

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