The House That Ruth Built

Abstract:     
Yankee Stadium may be scheduled for demolition at the end of the 2008 baseball season, but the storied ballpark will live on in the memories of all baseball fans. "The House That Ruth Built" examines the legal history of the Yankees in their four New York homes: Hilltop Park, the Polo Grounds, Shea Stadium, and Yankee Stadium.

This chapter, which describes a variety of real estate law issues the Yankees have faced, focuses on Yankee Stadium itself. Designed to be baseball's first true showplace, the Stadium was huge, luxurious, and fireproof, which differentiated it radically from the other parks in use in 1923. The chapter examines many of the legal issues the Stadium faced during its life, ranging from construction litigation, public finance, and labor strife, to copyright infringement, access for the disabled, and the rights of fans to wave provocative banners.

Along the way, the chapter discusses many of the uses to which Yankee Stadium has been put, ranging from public viewings of Babe Ruth's casket to concerts by Pink Floyd and Billy Joel, from speeches by Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II to the memorial service that followed the September 11 attack. The chapter forms a part of "Courting the Yankees: Legal Essays on the Bronx Bombers," a collection celebrating one hundred years of the New York Yankees.

Keywords: Real Estate Finance Law, Construction Law, Land Use, Sports Law, Baseball, New York Yankees

JEL Classifications: H72, H82, K11, K12, L74, L82, L83, L85

Accepted Paper Series