Some say that Melissa Ludtke in 1978, as a young sports journalist, won a lawsuit for the right to be allowed in Major League Baseball locker rooms.This presumably paved the way for women reporters to access locker rooms across sports leagues.
Others say it was Robin Herman, who was the NY Times’ first female sports writer, who in 1975, conducted post-game interviews inside the men’s locker room. When the news broke, Herman said “I’m not the story, the game is the story”. But the account of girls in the locker room overshadowed a ho-hum hockey match that saw the Wales Conference trounce the Campbell Conference 7-1.
No matter, before the emergence of women’s sports as a viable alternative to watching and in many ways equivalent to men’s sports (a topic for another blog), the locker room was strictly a place for men. (This is why Melania’s dismissal of her husband’s clearly misogynistic and damming comments were labeled as “just locker room talk.”) The locker room has often been considered a sacred place, a place where players can air their grievances and congratulate each other. It has been the place that has been seen as safe from prying eyes, where the honest, not sanitized for the media conversations take place. And the inner sanctum of the locker room has been the coaches office. So if this analogy holds up, then the stadium is a sacred place.
The stadium, arena, venue takes on a persona with superstitions and feelings. For example, Fenway park has its unique Green Monstor (plug the surse of the Bambino) like Wrigley’s field has its ivy. Certainly, here in America, certain sports facilities have become iconic and in that, have been the location for crossover events that raised their status. Let’s dig deeper.
Wembley Stadium – The original Wembley Stadium, completed in 1923 is England’s national football stadium. With 90,000 seats, it is the largest stadium in the UK and the second-largest stadium in Europe, behind Barcelona’s Camp Nou. It is so popular that it has made it into song and literature. It is said that an artist who performs at Wembley Stadium has become a superstar. Which could be said of any artist who can fill any stadium. The crowds are simply too large for an ordinary concert. (Of course, the unforgettable Simon and Garfunkel concert in Central Park was incredible.)
Yankee Stadium – like Wembley, Yankee Stadium was opened in 1923. It was like Wembley as well, in that it was reconstructed. Construction on the stadium began in August 2006, and the project spanned many years and faced many controversies, including the high public cost and the loss of public park land. It was so important to New York city that public funds went into its construction with $1.2 billion in public subsidies. In the end the cost of construction was $2.3 billion and is one of the most expensive stadiums ever built. Because it is a baseball stadium and not a soccer stadium the seating requirement is much less as roughly 50,000 seats. New York Yankees fans are fond of saying that it is one of the few stadiums that has not sold to corporate interests in that it has retained the name, and in fact, it is etched in stone its name. While Shea Stadium became Citi Field, Yankee Stadium has remained.
Madison Square Garden – while not the only arena known at “The Garden” it too has found its way into the pantheon of legendary sports venues.
The MSG website’s history page offers insight into the importance of this great arena.
Since it first opened its doors in 1879, Madison Square Garden has been a celebrated center of New York life. Named “Coolest Arena” in the United States by Rolling Stone and “Venue of the Decade” by Billboard, Madison Square Garden has come to epitomize live sports and entertainment to people around the world, with an appearance at The World’s Most Famous Arena often representing a pinnacle of an athlete’s or performer’s career.
As the home of the New York Knicks, Rangers, professional boxing, college basketball and so much more, the Garden’s most memorable sports events include the 1970 Knicks NBA Championship, the Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup Championship and “The Fight of the Century” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971.
Madison Square Garden has been the site of four Democratic National Conventions and one Republican National Convention; landmark visits from Pope John Paul II (in 1979) and Pope Francis (in 2015); Marilyn Monroe’s famous birthday serenade to President John F. Kennedy in 1962; and Frank Sinatra’s “Main Event” concert in 1974 and the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in 2009.
Churchill Downs – seats a mind boggling 170,000. Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky. It was made famous not because of the clothing people wear to attend, though that is a fun addition. It is famous for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. It has also hosted the renowned Breeders’ Cup on nine occasions.
Soldier Field – is the smallest of football stadiums with a capacity of 62,500 seats and opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003. It is the home of the Chicago Bears since 1971, as well as Chicago Fire FC (MLS) from 1998 to 2006 and since 2020. Most significantly, on November 11, 1925, the stadium’s name was changed to Soldier Field, in dedication to U.S. soldiers who had died in combat during World War I.
Finally, the list cannot be complete without mentioning the Roman Colosseum. Construction began under the Emperor Vespasian (r. 69–79 AD) in 72 and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir, Titus (r. 79–81).,S o legendary that even though it is not a working arena any longer, nearly every person who goes to Rome will visit this canonical spot. If this is not a criterion for an emblematic sports location, I don’t know what is.
Obviously, there are so many more and you might be ready with your favorite, everyone has one.
Just like the ancients made their way to sacred locations, be they Jerusalem or Mecca, some fans have made it a bucket list item to visit every MLB stadium. They take a summer to travel to each and every team’s home field. This too is a pilgrimage.
In an age of television, the location has become less important. In truth, watching a sports event on t.v. may even be better. I recall sitting at the Meadowlands watching the Jets, freezing and not even being able to see where the ball was at any given time. Before the megatrons that carried instant replay surely watching the event on t.v. had its benefits. However, no one can argue that the feeling one gets no matter how old or young you may be of walking out and seeing a baseball field, with its green grass mowed in beautiful patterns. Or the feeling one gets after the seventh inning when the dirt has been smoothed again. There is just a small uptick in your heart rate and a sense of pure enjoyment that comes over you. It is what gives you the feeling that you are standing on hallowed ground.
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