Press parking at Yankee Stadium

What if they start charging for access to the press box? And then they start charging for wireless internet?

And how much money that went to Yankee stadium is taxpayer money?

And anybody who says - well if a paper can't pay the price, too bad - is clearly not a journalist.

 

I completely agree. No chance my old shop was paying for parking, though. And I was young and dumb. I couldn't have cared less at the time. I felt fortunate to have the opportunity.

 

Why wouldn't they? It's an additional revenue stream for the organization, after it pays the City of New York rent.

 

Yes, yes because access is easy to come by these days even when you are allowed in the press box.

You clearly have no idea what you are talking about.

 

Don't pull that crap. Apparently, paying for parking is not a new issue.

 

Who says access has to be "easy" and why would any reporter expect it to be? That you even suggest this goes a long way in illustrating the dysfunctional relationship that has evolved between sports and the media.

 

It is the issue, though, as it has become increasingly clear that organizations are continually going out of there way to find new and creative ways to make it difficult to cover them, to restricrt access without actually restricting access - by charging for things that lead to access.

Some schools have actually floated the idea of charging for seats in the press box.

I have no problem with the Yankees wanting to make money. I do have a big problem with any organization which is as supplemented by government money as the Yankees -- again how much of their stadium was paid for by taxpayers? -- to try and restrict access by reporters.

 

It is not a revenue stream for the organization. These are city owned lots. As part of the deal to float city bonds to pay for the "infrastructure" around the stadium, the city gets the bulk of the parking money.
I believe the deal also included the city giving the Yankees 300+ VIP spots in one of the new garages for team personnel and the corporate bastards et al who buy the suites.

 

Dude, what are you talking about? You are clearly a fan boy and not a journalist as you don't even understand the basics of journalism.

Teams go out of their way to restrict access and do so in alarmingly increasing ways. Teams have also found that they can control the message if they hire their own "journalist" who writes for their web-sites and puts out team-serving content every day.

Journalists have sunshine laws for a reason and while they don't necessarily apply to sports teams, with the amount of government money that goes into stadiums, they should.

It is why every major organization, be it MLB, NFL, NHL or NBA have very strict guidelines about access.

Reporters should be allowed to do their jobs.

 

Here are your choices...

1. Pay for parking, as much as it sucks, and cover the team.
2. Don't pay and don't cover the team.

It's a shitty deal, but it is what it is.

 

And you think is a good development -- eliminating the number of people able to cover the team? I'm sure for organizations like Newsday or the Daily News it is a drop in the bucket - but what about the smaller organizations who can't afford to pay this -- they get shut out -- is this good?

 

Not at all. It sucks. But what are you going to do?

How many smaller papers cover the Yanks every day?