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New York, NY
New York City has everything a sports fan could ask for, and then some. Not only does New York have a major league team in every major sport, they have two. Not only does New York have more teams than any other metropolitan area in the country, it also has some of the most legendary and prestigious sporting venues in the world.
Obviously, New York City has plenty to keep visitors busy with historic landmarks, an exciting downtown, and various entertainment attractions that can be seen at all times of the day. The sports scene gives anyone visiting New York City and the surrounding area an idea of what "real New York-ers" do in the city. New York sports fans are some of the most die-hard and loyal fans, as well as some of the most critical.
Yankee Stadium
Perhaps the most recognizable baseball stadium in the world received a major face lift this year, a completely new face in fact. Legendary Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees closed its doors for the last time in the Fall of 2008, making way for "New Yankee Stadium" which is a 1.5 billion dollar masterpiece.
The original Yankee Stadium, was one of baseball's most legendary stadiums. The Yankees have won 26 World Series, while playing at Yankee Stadium, the most all time. Yankee Stadium has hosted more World Series (37) than any other stadium in history.
Citi Field
The Yankees were not the only New York baseball team to get a new home in 2009 as the New York Mets kicked of their 2009 campaign in a brand new stadium, Citi Field. Built to replace the legendary Shea Stadium, which served as the Mets' home since 1964. The estimated cost of Citi Field was $610 million dollars.
One of the unique additions to Citi Field is the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, which honors the life and acomplishments of Jackie Robinson. Behind the center field scoreboard is the 2K Fanfest area. This area features a replica wiffle ball version of Citi Field called "Kiddie Field". In addition to the wiffle ball field, the 2K Fanfest area also has a batting cage, a dunk tank and other attractions.
Citi Field is accessable via the New York City subway, using the 7 Train.
Giants Stadium
Located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Giants Stadium is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets,
as well as the Redbull New York Major League Soccer team. Giants
Stadium is currently the 2nd largest stadium in the NFL, with a maximum
capacity of 80,242. The Jets refer to the stadium as “The
Meadowlands”, as it is named for their cross town rival.
The Giants played their first game at Giants Stadium in 1976, ending in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Jets moved into the stadium in 1984, after they moved out of Shea
Stadium. Because both New York NFL teams play at Giants Stadium, it
surpassed Wrigley Field as the venue that has hosted the most NFL
games. Giants Stadium has hosted various other events throughout its
history, none bigger than the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1995.
In
2010, Giants Stadium will be demolished when the New Meadowlands
Stadium opens. The New Meadowlands Stadium will also serve as the home
for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. The New Stadium will
be a 50/50 partnership between the two teams, and will even change
lighting colors to match what team is playing. The new capacity will
be 82,500, and will still rank 2nd in size in the NFL, behind Fedex
Field in Landover, MD. The new stadium construction costs are
estimated at $1.3 billion.
Madison Square Garden
Nicknamed "The Worlds Most Famous Arena", Madison Square Garden is home to the New York Rangers of the NHL and the New York Knicks of the NBA. The present day "Garden" is the 4th arena to bear the name "MSG", with the original opening in 1879. The present day MSG opened in 1968 and has since hosted 5 NBA Finals and 3 Stanley Cup Finals.
Madison Square Garden is located on 7th Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets, and it is located above Pennsylvania Station, making transportation to the arena a breeze. MSG is truly one of the last great historic arenas remaining in the U.S. today. This is a must see for any sports fan traveling to the city of New York.
Other Points of Interest
In addition to these historic and modern state of the art facilities, there are many forgot venues of the New York City metropolitan area. The New York Islanders of the NHL play their home games in nearby Uniondale, New York, at the Nassau Veterans Stadium. In addition, the New Jersey Devils of the NHL play in nearby Newark, NJ, at the recently opened Prudential Center. The Prudential CenterThe Devils are one of the New York Rangers biggest rivals, as their home arenas are separated by less than 10 miles, just on the other side of the Hudson River. In addition to the Devils, New Jersey has another team that plays in a close proximity to New York. The New Jersey Nets of the NBA play in East Rutherford, NJ at the IZOD Center.
In addition to the major league professional sports franchises in New York City and the surrounding area, there is much more to the sports scene than that. One of the biggest horse races of the year, the Belmont Stakes is held every June in nearby Elmont, NY at Belmont Park.
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