New ballparks offer more than just games

From Yankee Stadium to Citi Field and beyond, the new sports palaces are giving fans more reasons than ever to stray from their seats.

Glitzy restaurants with high-definition televisions, food stands and even museums are part of an evolution in spectator sports in the United States. Why sit in the heat or cold when you can watch the game from the comfort of a restaurant without losing the ambience of being in the stadium?

This has altered the raucous atmosphere of stadiums, where even sold-out games appear to have chunks of empty seats.

"Obviously, if there's not as many people in the stadium it's going to change the vibe," Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher said. "But I've got a job to do, man. I can't pay attention to that stuff."

It's a brand new ballgame of amenities and luxury boxes aimed at maximizing how much fans spend, and the players understand the rules.

"Either way we're making money," Swisher said. "I think that's what it's about. It's about creating revenue. That's why Yankee Stadium is the best of the best, because it has the best of everything to offer. You're not necessarily creating a stadium; you're creating an event, an experience."

Throughout sports, new facilities have been designed increasingly to give fans more variety in food and merchandise, more ways to spend their money, and better climate control.

Fan's-eye view

Meet John Mirando and Billy Davis, 50-something volunteer firefighters from Rockville Centre, who were at a bar one sunny day early this season, watching the Yankees on TV, enjoying the company and the cold beverages in the Audi Yankees Club that overlooks leftfield.

On the screen was Mariano Rivera leaving the bullpen to Metallica's "Enter Sandman," en route to locking down another victory. Why not watch the real thing?

"It was really hot out there," Mirando said, referring to their good seats just below in section 232. "After a couple of beers, we said, 'Let's go get a little fresh air.' "

By which he meant cooler air. "It's good to have options -- air-conditioned options," Davis said.

In the first two seasons at the new ballparks, partly because of lower seating capacities and partly because of the economy, Yankees attendance dropped by an average of a little more than a half-million per year and the Mets' fell by an average of more than a million. Yet Yankees revenues have increased because of higher ticket prices, more luxury suites and the sharply increased number of places for fans to spend their money in the ballparks. The Mets' attendance issues also can be tied to the team's losing records in 2009 and 2010.

Dinner and a ballgame

New Yankee Stadium has what the team classifies as four public restaurants and bars: NYY Steak, Hard Rock Cafe, Mohegan Sun Sports Bar and Tommy Bahama Bar, along with the ticketed Audi Club, Delta Sky Club and Legends Suite -- and numerous other distractions. Citi Field, where the Mets play, has five restaurants: the Acela Club, Caesars Club, Delta Club (split into Sky360 Lounge and the Sky360 Club); Promenade Club and Champions Club.

In comparison, the only real restaurants at the old ballparks were the Stadium Club at Yankee Stadium and the Diamond Club at Shea, neither of which were readily accessible to the public.

Fans seem to enjoy the idea of dining at the ballpark.

"The last six times I've been [to Yankee Stadium], I've gone [to NYY Steak] each time," said Christina Hubbell, 30, of East Meadow. "We go in, get a snack and then go to our seats. If they start losing, we'll go back and grab a bite to eat, enjoy the air-conditioning for a while."

Joe Pizzurro, a 27-year-old Web designer from Holbrook, said that while Citi Field's amenities and activities "can get you away from the game a little bit," he views them as a net positive, adding that for one game he had tickets that provided access to a club restaurant. "I sat in there and it was like watching from home in a way, but I had a view of the field from there. Why not sit in a more luxurious place?"

Pizzurro said one of the best features of Citi Field is the open access -- and varied views -- for all ticket holders. "You can buy a seat in the upper deck and just walk around," he said.

Catering to the fans

Executives understand that fans of all kinds expect more amenities, especially those with expensive premium seats.

Those are the ones most often unoccupied, especially in blowouts or in bad weather. The most extreme cases are sections that come with unlimited food, such as the Yankees' Legends Suite or the Jets' and Giants' Coaches Club.

"It's just the way it is," Yankees president Randy Levine said. "I think it's because [the ballpark] has become a place to entertain for business, a place to socialize. Some people go to the ballpark to watch the game and to do other things."

Just the way it was planned.

Not all fans love the ambience, though.

Joyce Mandelkern, 56, of Sands Point, is a longtime Mets season-ticket holder who called herself a "very old school" fan. "They built an enormous food court and stuck a baseball diamond in the middle of it," she said of Citi Field. "It's an entertainment complex."

The wanderers

At New Meadowlands Stadium, early in the second half of Giants and Jets games, the sections on either side of the Coaches Club usually are full, while the seats inside it mostly are empty as fans gradually filter back.

"Would I rather see them back in their seats at kickoff? I suppose," Giants president John Mara said. "But to be honest with you, I'd rather have them in their seats at the two-minute warning."

Mara said modern fans have higher expectations for amenities, and modern teams want them enjoying those services. Not to mention, he noted, "If they're back there [out of their seats], they're usually buying something."

The phenomenon is here to stay.

"As long as they are actually in the building, taking advantage of the ticket and the amenities, I don't have an issue with it," said Dave Howard, the Mets' executive vice president of business operations. "They're customers."

The issue is particularly sensitive in baseball because the centerfield camera often captures empty seats behind home plate.

"Ideally, you'd like those seats to be filled," Howard said. "It certainly looks better. But as long as the seats are being used, that's the most important consideration."

The next new arena scheduled to open is the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which will be home to the Nets next year. It will feature the now-obligatory club sections.

"It's a Catch-22," said Fred Mangione, the Nets' chief marketing officer. "If people are in clubs, even though it's all-inclusive, they probably are spending more money. We want everyone to be happy. But we also want them in their seats."

Cost of a game

So what does it cost to go to a big-league game these days? According to Team Marketing Report's 2011 Fan Cost Index, the Yankees rank second to the Red Sox in Major League Baseball for the average cost for a family of four to attend a game, including non-premium tickets, parking, food and beverages a program and souvenirs. The top five:

1. Red Sox $339.01

2. Yankees $338.32

3. Cubs $305.60

4. White Sox $258.68

5. Mets $241.74