Sports Venue Food

 

         Sports Addict

            B.H. Hub

September 23, 2024             Article 5          Sports Venue Food

You know you are a Sports Addict when you are aware that when Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier by signing a professional baseball contract in 1946 with the Brooklyn Dodgers; his first full season was in the Triple A International League for the Montreal Royals

 Eating and Drinking is part of the Sports Addiction Experience

When you are a sports addict and you spend a lot of time at sports venues, as I do, you probably like to eat while you are there. Food is part of the Sports spectating experience. Even the greatest song ever written (Take Me Out to the Ballgame) tells us, “…buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don’t care if I ever get back!” That’s right, if you go to a game, you have to eat, otherwise you missed a big part of the experience and you can’t have that!!

In my youth, my father enjoyed going to games as much as I did. He was usually under strict instructions from my mother to feed me at the ball park or arena. Which was no problem! My father enjoyed eating at a sporting event as much as I did. I am the spitting image of my father, as we both enjoy watching sports and we rarely miss a meal. I have fond memories of entering the old Memorial Arena on Blanshard Street in Victoria. When my father and I entered through the entrance door turnstiles, we would immediately be struck by the sensational aroma of fried onions. We couldn’t get to the concession fast enough to get a hot dog with lots of onions and a coke (as I got older, my order evolved into a hot dog with lots of onions and a cold beer).

Back in the 60’s and 70’s, sports venues didn’t offer much in the way of health food. For the most part, you got junk food (which I like). They offered fries, chocolate bars, peanuts, potato chips, burgers, sloppy joes, chicken strips, and soda pops, but the undisputed heavyweight champion of sports venue food were hot dogs.

No one to my knowledge ever boycotted going to a hockey game or a ball game because there were no vegetarian or vegan food alternatives available at a sports venue. I had never heard of the concept of vegetarianism until my late teens or early 20’s. And even then I was told that the word “vegetarian” was an old Indian (first nation) word meaning, “Bad Hunter!”

Most other Sports Addicts would agree that Sports Venue Food is part of the addiction. Besides, it makes it easier to identify other Sports Addicts. We are the guys with ketchup stains on our shoes, beer stains on our trousers and mustard stains on our shirts. When you are at a game and you come across a guy with wardrobe condiment and beverage glitches, say hello, it’s probably me, or some other Sports Addict. You will be glad you did, as most of us are quite friendly!

I sometimes judge the quality of a sports venue by the quality of their food. Old Yankee Stadium come to mind. The “House that Ruth Built” was an over-sized shit box with very few modern conveniences in a nasty part of town. You had to line up for everything. The stadium was short on concession stands, featuring overcooked and over priced hot dogs, and the lines were always long.

 Restrooms were even worse for line ups at the old Yankee Stadium. Men had it bad, but for women, it was atrocious. My wife left her seat in the top of the fourth inning to find the ladies. By the time she got back, it was the bottom of the sixth. She asked me when she got back, “what did I miss?” I said, “not much Honey, just 2 home runs and a triple play! But don’t worry, I was able to get you an overcooked and over priced hot dog. Sit down and relax!”

 I hated the place! My life time dislike for the Yankees may also have been a contributing factor in my disapproval of the old ball park (my father still calls the Yankees, the “Evil Empire”). But expensive and lousy hot dogs was my biggest issue.

Not only do I judge sports venues by the quality of their food, like everyone else I tend to judge restaurants much the same way. In sports venues, I start by ordering a hot dog. If that’s good, I probably will move onto some other items, maybe some fries or a pizza slice. In a restaurant, I always start by just ordering the soup. If the soup is good, then I keep ordering! If I don’t fancy the soup, then I get the hell out of there! If they can’t get soup right, there is a strong possibility that nothing else on the menu will be right! The difference of course is that if the soup is no good at restaurant, I pay my bill and leave. In a sports venue, if my hot dog is lousy, I don’t leave, but it does put me in a sour mood, and I am likely to start yelling at opposing team players and game officials a little earlier than usual.

The best way to eat food at a sports venue is through walk-around food vendors (if the venue has them). I was always mesmerized by ballpark and arena food vendors. They march along corridors, up and down aisle ways hawking their product. They solicit soft drinks, peanuts, cracker jacks, popcorn, cotton candy and beer. I ask you, are you really at a ball park, if you don’t hear a loud bellow of “cold beer here!” Usually from a beer bellied dude who looks like he may be his own best customer. Even though I already have a beer ¾ full, I immediately put my hand high in the air and holler, “cold beer right here!” Sometimes the beer vendor makes a big deal out of me! He points at me and yells so everyone around can hear, “That man needs a beer!” As soon as he says that, 4 other men in my section instantly put their hand up indicating that they also want a beer! I feel like a trendsetter, of sorts!

I’ve experienced a remarkable honour system in big league and minor league ballparks, where a beer is ordered by a spectator mid-row. The vendor passes the beer to the first person at the end aisle seat, and says “Pass this along!” The beer does in fact get passed along through 10 or 12 spectators hands to the buyer. The buyer passes money, say a $20 bill to his neighbour and sends the money the other way back to the vendor, passing through the hands of those same 10 or 12 spectators. The vendor then passes change back to the buyer, and then the buyer sends $1 or $2 back as a gratuity to the vendor. The transaction is complicated but complete. The process is quit extraordinary – Community Co-operation at its finest!

My favourite beer vendor at the old Kingdom Stadium in Seattle used to carry an old tennis ball with a knife cut in the seam. When you squeezed the ball, the slit in the ball would open up, so that money can be neatly tucked into the ball. I frequently find myself seated in mid-row and when I hail the vendor for a beer, he will pass the beer along to the first patron in my row and the beer miraculously gets passed along from spectator to spectator down my row all the way to me. I graciously accept my beer from my neighbour and immediately put in into a cup holder or on the concrete floor by my feet. When I look back up at the beer vendor, he’s ready to toss his tennis ball to me. Now, I don’t know what the catch average of beer drinkers are in catching this tennis ball (probably lousy)! But I feel very proud when I catch the vendor’s tennis ball when he tosses it to me. The vendor hollers to me, “$8” (beer pricing at a ballpark is usually not a bargain; they know you can’t get a beer anywhere else, nor can you bring into the stadium your own beer, so they ask and get full retail pricing – I don’t care because I need to wet my whistle and drinking beer is part of the spectating experience, as mentioned previously). I stick a USD $10 bill into the tennis ball and make a decent throw back to my vendor. He catches the ball, pulls my $10 bill out and then looks back down at me. I shout to him “Keep the change!” He yells back, Thanks Buddy!” The deal is done! I now have 1 ¾ beers to consume, before I hail my vendor again.

Sports Venue food and drink has no doubt evolved over the years, although I tend to stick with my old favourites. Case in point is Seattle’s beautiful Major League ballpark – Safeco Field! Safeco offers an assortment of menu options quite new and unique to the usual ballpark fare. A few new options include Tofu Totes (not a chance), Curry Donut Dips (maybe), Crab Pizza (I may try that) and Vegan Strawberry Coconut Water Sherbet (yuk – besides the name is too long).

So next time you choose to go to a sports venue, do what I do, go hungry. Treat yourself to whatever you have a craving for. Newer concession items include Pizza Slices, Heated Natcho Chips with cheese, and Giant Pretzels. Or go old school and get a hot dog and a beer. What ever you choose, take your meal to your seat and enjoy the game! Because food is part of the sports spectating experience. And remember, “…buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don’t care if I ever get back. Cause its root, root, root for the home team, if they don’t win it’s a shame…”

Favourite Sports Team Nicknames include – New Westminster Salmonbellies