My eyelids get heavy even when I overhear someone utter the word “baseball”, but I’d pony up the money for a ticket to a game at the new uber-accessible Yankee Stadium. I’m accustomed to seeing disability seating in sports venues clustered in a few spots (and usually priced at a premium), but the new ballpark has disability and companion seating scattered throughout the whole park, even the cheap seats. The dugouts and fields are also accessible, which means fans with disabilities will be able to rush the field along with everyone else when the Yankees win the next pennant. The team will also provide assistive listening devices and game programs printed in Braille and large print.
I recently walked by the nearly-complete Target Field (only the Yankee have the resources to avoid slapping a corporate logo on their stadium), the new home for the Twins which opens next year. I’m hopeful it will provide a similar level of accessibility.
