The Yankees are using their offseason ballpark renovation as a "long-term play to hook Generation Z into the pinstriped experience and a way to give millennials and older generations new ways to experience the game," according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN N.Y. Yankee Stadium will get a facelift in spaces that include "play areas for young children and different vantage points for ticket holders to mingle and, most important, take pictures, videos and selfies they can share on social media." The Yankees "declined to say how much they have spent on the project, but, for other teams, it has ranged" between $10M-60M. By eliminating about 2,100 seats, the Yankees "believe they have created a less stagnant environment." To make up for the loss of the cheap seats, the Yankees said that they have "added 200,000 tickets priced at $15 or less, which averages out to nearly 2,500 per game." The new additions are sponsored, which "probably means they'll have to be done just right to overcome the stadium's corporate atmosphere." Part of the renovations include a "nearly 3,000-square foot 'SunRun' Kids' Clubhouse on the third level in right field." The Yankees also are "installing charging stations in the new locations -- adding more than 125 USB ports, about three times the number that currently exists" (ESPNNY.com, 1/25). In N.Y., John Harper wrote if the Yankees want to "make improvements, they should start by restoring Monument Park to a place where you can actually see it while sitting in the Stadium." Turning it into "Monument Cave to make room for more bleacher seats has always been the worst thing about the new place" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/29).
