Latest news with #Ballpark
Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Athletics celebrate groundbreaking of $1.75 billion stadium project in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — With mounds of dirt, construction vehicles and the exact location where home plate will be at the new A's Ballpark serving as the backdrop Monday morning, team owner John Fisher stood in front of a large gathering with one message: 'We are Vegas' team.' MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, state and local government dignitaries, former Athletics greats such as Rollie Fingers and Dave Stewart, Little Leaguers and many others looked on as the team celebrated the groundbreaking of a $1.75 billion, 33,000-person capacity ballpark that is expected to be finished in time for the 2028 season. Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the project. 'I have no doubt this is done in 2028,' team president Marc Badain said. 'You know the workforce here; they're all here and ready to get going. 'It's nice to see the validation a day like today brings and what the next three years will mean for the community and for the construction project and the jobs and everything else that you're going to see as this building comes out of the ground starting as early as tonight.' Badain went through a similar process when serving in the same capacity for the NFL's Raiders. He was a central figure in that team's move from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020 as well as the approval and construction of $2 billion Allegiant Stadium. While waiting for Allegiant Stadium to be finished, the Raiders remained in Oakland for three seasons in the stadium they shared with the A's. But while the Raiders maintained a largely strong connection to the Bay Area even while playing as a lameduck franchise, A's fans were incensed about their team's impending departure and the process involved. That made staying in Oakland untenable for the franchise, which played its final season in the dilapidated stadium last year. The A's are playing the first of at least three years about an hour away at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento, California, while they await their move to Las Vegas. 'We are a local team,' Fisher said. 'And we want to start from the youngest of fans, because if you can get the kids, you can get their parents. It takes less time than you think; what really takes time is ... to have a winner. 'Our goal is to continue to build upon what we have, and building a team is like building anything else. Sometimes it takes more time than you want it to. It's like building the stadium. And we think that we have the pieces to make ourselves really successful.' The stadium will be built on nine acres of the 35-acre site owned by Bally's on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. The Tropicana's resort towers were destroyed in an overnight demolition in October to clear the way for the ballpark. The A's are trying to strike a balance of making the most of their temporary home while also preparing for their future. Each A's player wears a patch of Sacramento's Tower Bridge on one sleeve and a Las Vegas logo on the other as part of a three-year sponsorship with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The Las Vegas Stadium Authority in December approved lease, non-relocation and development documents, the last major steps for the A's to eventually become Las Vegas' team. Artist renderings show a stadium with its five overlapping layers that bears a striking resemblance to Australia's famed Sydney Opera House. A glass window beyond the outfield provides an outdoor feel with views of the Las Vegas Strip. Rather than a centralized cooling system, air conditioning will be distributed through the seats. This will be MLB's smallest stadium, though Tropicana Field where the Tampa Bay Rays usually call home has a capacity of 25,000 when the upper levels are closed off. It otherwise holds just less than 40,000 seats. The Rays, like the A's, are playing this season at a Triple-A ballpark after Hurricane Milton damaged their domed stadium. Tampa Bay's long-term home is unknown, and the club could soon be in the hands of new owners . Cleveland plays at Progressive Field, which now seats 34,830. It was downsized from the 43,345-seat capacity when the park opened in 1994. The A's are set to become the fourth major professional team in Las Vegas, joining the Raiders, NHL's Golden Knights and WNBA's Aces. 'I think that the demographics, the success that other sports have had, and the amount of tourism here, those three legs of the stool make this an ideal market for us,' Manfred said. 'I have no doubt that this team is going to be really successful in Vegas.' ___ AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB:
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Athletics celebrate groundbreaking of $1.75 billion stadium project in Las Vegas
With mounds of dirt, construction vehicles and the exact location where home plate will be at the new A's Ballpark serving as the backdrop Monday morning, team owner John Fisher stood in front of a large gathering with one message: "We are Vegas' team.' MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, state and local government dignitaries, former Athletics greats such as Rollie Fingers and Dave Stewart, Little Leaguers and many others looked on as the team celebrated the groundbreaking of a $1.75 billion, 33,000-person capacity ballpark that is expected to be finished in time for the 2028 season. Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the project. 'I have no doubt this is done in 2028,' team president Marc Badain said. "You know the workforce here; they're all here and ready to get going. 'It's nice to see the validation a day like today brings and what the next three years will mean for the community and for the construction project and the jobs and everything else that you're going to see as this building comes out of the ground starting as early as tonight.' Badain went through a similar process when serving in the same capacity for the NFL's Raiders. He was a central figure in that team's move from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020 as well as the approval and construction of $2 billion Allegiant Stadium. While waiting for Allegiant Stadium to be finished, the Raiders remained in Oakland for three seasons in the stadium they shared with the A's. But while the Raiders maintained a largely strong connection to the Bay Area even while playing as a lameduck franchise, A's fans were incensed about their team's impending departure and the process involved. That made staying in Oakland untenable for the franchise, which played its final season in the dilapidated stadium last year. The A's are playing the first of at least three years about an hour away at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento, California, while they await their move to Las Vegas. 'We are a local team,' Fisher said. "And we want to start from the youngest of fans, because if you can get the kids, you can get their parents. It takes less time than you think; what really takes time is ... to have a winner. 'Our goal is to continue to build upon what we have, and building a team is like building anything else. Sometimes it takes more time than you want it to. It's like building the stadium. And we think that we have the pieces to make ourselves really successful.' The stadium will be built on nine acres of the 35-acre site owned by Bally's on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. The Tropicana's resort towers were destroyed in an overnight demolition in October to clear the way for the ballpark. The A's are trying to strike a balance of making the most of their temporary home while also preparing for their future. Each A's player wears a patch of Sacramento's Tower Bridge on one sleeve and a Las Vegas logo on the other as part of a three-year sponsorship with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The Las Vegas Stadium Authority in December approved lease, non-relocation and development documents, the last major steps for the A's to eventually become Las Vegas' team. Artist renderings show a stadium with its five overlapping layers that bears a striking resemblance to Australia's famed Sydney Opera House. A glass window beyond the outfield provides an outdoor feel with views of the Las Vegas Strip. Rather than a centralized cooling system, air conditioning will be distributed through the seats. This will be MLB's smallest stadium, though Tropicana Field where the Tampa Bay Rays usually call home has a capacity of 25,000 when the upper levels are closed off. It otherwise holds just less than 40,000 seats. The Rays, like the A's, are playing this season at a Triple-A ballpark after Hurricane Milton damaged their domed stadium. Tampa Bay's long-term home is unknown, and the club could soon be in the hands of new owners. Cleveland plays at Progressive Field, which now seats 34,830. It was downsized from the 43,345-seat capacity when the park opened in 1994. The A's are set to become the fourth major professional team in Las Vegas, joining the Raiders, NHL's Golden Knights and WNBA's Aces. 'I think that the demographics, the success that other sports have had, and the amount of tourism here, those three legs of the stool make this an ideal market for us,' Manfred said. 'I have no doubt that this team is going to be really successful in Vegas.' ___
Associated Press
10 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Athletics celebrate groundbreaking of $1.75 billion stadium project in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) — With mounds of dirt, construction vehicles and the exact location where home plate will be at the new A's Ballpark serving as the backdrop Monday morning, team owner John Fisher stood in front of a large gathering with one message: 'We are Vegas' team.' MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, state and local government dignitaries, former Athletics greats such as Rollie Fingers and Dave Stewart, Little Leaguers and many others looked on as the team celebrated the groundbreaking of a $1.75 billion, 33,000-person capacity ballpark that is expected to be finished in time for the 2028 season. Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the project. 'I have no doubt this is done in 2028,' team president Marc Badain said. 'You know the workforce here; they're all here and ready to get going. 'It's nice to see the validation a day like today brings and what the next three years will mean for the community and for the construction project and the jobs and everything else that you're going to see as this building comes out of the ground starting as early as tonight.' Badain went through a similar process when serving in the same capacity for the NFL's Raiders. He was a central figure in that team's move from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020 as well as the approval and construction of $2 billion Allegiant Stadium. While waiting for Allegiant Stadium to be finished, the Raiders remained in Oakland for three seasons in the stadium they shared with the A's. But while the Raiders maintained a largely strong connection to the Bay Area even while playing as a lameduck franchise, A's fans were incensed about their team's impending departure and the process involved. That made staying in Oakland untenable for the franchise, which played its final season in the dilapidated stadium last year. The A's are playing the first of at least three years about an hour away at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento, California, while they await their move to Las Vegas. 'We are a local team,' Fisher said. 'And we want to start from the youngest of fans, because if you can get the kids, you can get their parents. It takes less time than you think; what really takes time is ... to have a winner. 'Our goal is to continue to build upon what we have, and building a team is like building anything else. Sometimes it takes more time than you want it to. It's like building the stadium. And we think that we have the pieces to make ourselves really successful.' The stadium will be built on nine acres of the 35-acre site owned by Bally's on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. The Tropicana's resort towers were destroyed in an overnight demolition in October to clear the way for the ballpark. The A's are trying to strike a balance of making the most of their temporary home while also preparing for their future. Each A's player wears a patch of Sacramento's Tower Bridge on one sleeve and a Las Vegas logo on the other as part of a three-year sponsorship with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The Las Vegas Stadium Authority in December approved lease, non-relocation and development documents, the last major steps for the A's to eventually become Las Vegas' team. Artist renderings show a stadium with its five overlapping layers that bears a striking resemblance to Australia's famed Sydney Opera House. A glass window beyond the outfield provides an outdoor feel with views of the Las Vegas Strip. Rather than a centralized cooling system, air conditioning will be distributed through the seats. This will be MLB's smallest stadium, though Tropicana Field where the Tampa Bay Rays usually call home has a capacity of 25,000 when the upper levels are closed off. It otherwise holds just less than 40,000 seats. The Rays, like the A's, are playing this season at a Triple-A ballpark after Hurricane Milton damaged their domed stadium. Tampa Bay's long-term home is unknown, and the club could soon be in the hands of new owners. Cleveland plays at Progressive Field, which now seats 34,830. It was downsized from the 43,345-seat capacity when the park opened in 1994. The A's are set to become the fourth major professional team in Las Vegas, joining the Raiders, NHL's Golden Knights and WNBA's Aces. 'I think that the demographics, the success that other sports have had, and the amount of tourism here, those three legs of the stool make this an ideal market for us,' Manfred said. 'I have no doubt that this team is going to be really successful in Vegas.' ___ AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MLB Uses Tech to Shorten Food Lines While Game Time Shrinks
Major League Baseball updated its rulebook in 2023 to increase the pace of action on the field. But the changes put concessionaires on the clock, too. Rishav Dash, senior director of analytics for Delaware North's sports business, remembers the lead-up to that year's Opening Day—months spent modeling the potential ramifications and discussing them with the company's 10 MLB clients. Advertisement More from 'Our world was about to change,' he said. MLB games were 24 minutes shorter on average in 2023 than they were in 2022, and games were another four minutes faster last season, a roughly 15% deduction in all. But the condensed time ultimately 'had only a marginal effect on consumer behavior,' a white paper published by Aramark Sports + Entertainment found. Ballparks were prepared for the new status quo, it turned out, because they'd already undergone a revolution. Teams optimized operations for the same reason MLB added a pitch clock: Fans could no longer stand to wait. This year, baseball's Ballpark app is testing new concession-buying functions—including using digital wallets—in search of even speedier delivery. Advertisement The hot dog cannon is no longer just a jumbo-sized novelty gag. It represents the apotheosis of MLB teams' quest to serve food, fast. Some clubs responded to shrinking game times by extending beer sales through the eighth inning. But most found game-goers buying about as often as they did before, most commonly just before the first pitch and often sometime again about a third of the way through a game. If anything, the larger impact was likely the 10% jump in attendance baseball saw in 2023, in part thanks to the rule changes. An endless tally of concession analytics has also altered the game. Aramark VP of Data Science Scott McDade said the company tracks the ratio of sales locations to fans, especially in the upper decks, to ensure quick food access. One hundred fans-per-register represents a rough baseline target. At Delaware North, purchase tracking data allows Dash's team to narrow in on specific sections that aren't selling to expectations. Changes range from menu updates to additional automation. Advertisement These days, there's more than one way to get your peanuts and Cracker Jack. The Texas Rangers cited the pitch clock when rolling out mobile ordering to all visitors in 2023. Fenway Park brought in self-order kiosks to celebrate its 111th birthday. The Pittsburgh Pirates called up computer vision technology from Mashgin to facilitate speedier self-checkouts using cameras that capture what each fan is buying. Across 16 venues, Mashgin estimated it saved baseball fans 14 million minutes of line time in 2023—the equivalent of more than 86,000 extra baseball games viewed. Then, of course, there are still the roving vendors hawking options. Now they wield Square point-of-sale devices, naturally. Some new concepts digitize the checkout altogether. MLB SVP for ballpark experience and ticketing product Karri Zaremba said the league is testing 'a number of new purchase experiences' this season, starting in Cleveland and Philadelphia. There, fans can now order food and pay through the MLB Ballpark app. The tests build on advancements in the stadium entry process. A hands-free, facial recognition-based experience lets fans better appreciate their moments walking up to historic venues, Zaremba said. It also proved to be 2.5 times as fast as digital ticketing methods. The league is still working with teams to figure out how they might use extra space once reserved for winding lines. With fans walking in at a faster clip, it is on stadiums to be ready to serve them. More than 40% of in-stadium purchasers made their buys before first pitch, according to Aramark's study. McDade said some teams have updated their giveaway promotions to encourage earlier arrivals and smooth out that pregame rush. Advertisement In Atlanta, the Braves opened a food court just around the corner from their most frequented entrance gate, increasing serving speed as fans enter. The eight-stall hall also represents an evolution in ballpark design philosophy. Truist Park opened in 2017. But rather than wait 20 years for massive overhauls, the Braves have created a master planning committee that oversees updates on an ongoing basis. Back in 2019, the team tracked food acquisition time throughout the stadium. The venue opened with 100% traditional food counters but has added mobile ordering, self-checkout and Amazon's Just Walk Out stores to its footprint since. Occupancy tracking sensors improved the flow through the team's retail store as well. Atlanta was rated No. 1 in overall guest experience and concessions in an MLB-wide survey last year. Still, there are human cashiers ready to serve those who prefer the ol' way—and many do. Advertisement 'Our fans really equate a baseball game with the food and beverage experience,' Braves SVP for operations Hannah Basinger said. 'And doing so in such an automated fashion—I don't think it's for everyone.' The goal then, is not too dissimilar from what the architects of baseball's modern rules had in mind: The same beloved ball game, just a little bit snappier. Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
CBS News
26-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Your ticket? Your face. Minnesota Twins unveil "GoAhead" entry at Target Field
The Minnesota Twins will welcome tens of thousands of fans to Target Field in just over a week , and are sharing a major change when it comes to getting in the stadium. On Wednesday, MLB Officials joined Twins staff to show off "GoAhead" technology. Through the MLB's "Ballpark" App, fans can now upload a photo of their face. From there, select gates will allow ticketed fans to walk through security where a kiosk will scan their face and count their ticket. It sounds like something out of science fiction, but the league says it's the future fans want. "We've seen across all demographics and fan types that fans love this because it is so easy," said MLB's Senior Vice President of Product Karri Zaremba. "They literally have to do nothing besides walk in with their eyes up and get greeted by a gate attendant." The process works even for fans with glasses, masks, hats and face paint. If you're coming in a group, the app knows how many tickets you've got, meaning only one person in the group needs to register and no one else needs to scan. The Twins are just the ninth MLB team to add the stadium technology. Zaremba says in other stadiums, entry times are 2.5 times faster.
