For the longest time, many folks liked to say that no matter how bad, ugly, or plain boring the Knicks got, Madison Square Garden would always be full because the ‘Bockers were a tourist attraction and/or a destination for famous people looking to be seen – and with a finite number of seats for 41 games, tickets were still at a premium.
In 2023, the under-.500 Yankees couldn’t even bring out half a stadium in Detroit in a season where every game could be Miguel Cabrera’s last, but Yankee Stadium itself continues to be close to capacity…and that led BT to wonder on Tuesday: are the Yankees now that “tourist attraction?”
But that brought about a question from a caller: given that the under-.500 Yankees couldn’t even bring out half a stadium in Detroit in a season where every game could be Miguel Cabrera’s last, are the Yankees now that ‘tourist attraction’ where people come but not for the product per se?
“I have two files: touristy and real ones. The Mets, real ones; like, you’re not coming to New York and going to see two Broadway shows, the Statue of Liberty, and then the Mets,” BT said.
The Nets and all three hockey locals are also real ones, and when it comes to football, the Jets and the Giants ‘always were, but are in the touristy column based on the ticket dynamic.’
And the Yankees?
“I tend to agree they belong in the touristy one,” BT said. “It’s changed monetarily, which impacts who ca go. And, like, people who were rolling in to see Broadway shows years ago weren’t rolling in to see Mel Hall. That changed with Jeter, and then of course the success…so they had a little Hollywood, even though they were blue-collar type of players. It’s interesting.”
Listen to BT’s entire monologue on the subject above!
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