Blue Jays are excited to show off Rogers Centre upgrades to supporters
“Transform the stadium from a multi-purpose, circular venue to a baseball-specific venue” was the “pretty ambitious” goal stated by Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro for the renovations. The “entirely re-envisioned lower bowl, from foul pole to foul pole,” he continued, will offer improved views and access to the on-field action.
According to Shapiro, the players’ quarters and VIP club lounges would be “among the best in the major leagues” once they are finished, which should happen around mid-season.
PRICE OF QUALITY: According to Mike Ganter, the renovated sightlines at Rogers Centre are Toronto’s “greatest accomplishment” when viewed just through the lens of baseball. In the former Rogers Center, which was constructed as a “multi-purpose facility,” far too many seats “did not face home plate or even the infield.”
Ganter noted that in order to “see the dish,” one had to “turn sideways” farther down the lines. In addition to the seats facing the infield, the seating has been repositioned with an improved pitch that eliminates obstructions from the fan in front of you.
Newer, more comfortable seats with wider aisles have replaced the old ones with little leg room, according to Ganter, although the degree of comfort—including padding—will be “tied directly to your ticket price.” “Better seat quality is correlated with higher ticket prices.”
Ganter: “The team maintains that it is only meeting fan demand, but fans will ultimately bear the cost of the stadium re-configuration through higher ticket prices, particularly the premium seating packages.”
SPORTSNET.ca’s Shi – Monster Mash After a Frankenstein season in 2023 that included the old bowl with a completely remodeled outfield, Davidi remarked that the stadium now appears seamless. According to Davidi, the modifications have “shrunk the dome’s capacity down to about 38,000 seats,” a number that stretches up to about 40,000 with tickets for the outfield area and private suites. Despite this, accessible seating has increased by 18% thanks to newly installed lower drink rails around the lower bowl.
The 1,600 premium seats behind home plate, of which 210 are in the TD Lounge section, which will be seen on TV behind home plate and bears a “striking resemblance” to the premium seating behind the plate at Yankee Stadium, will be a “key revenue driver.”
Davidi mentioned that, in order to make better selections, a few other staff members visited dozens of sporting venues. The new dugouts, for example, “are a nod” to Globe Life Field, home of the Rangers, Truist Park, and Target Field of the Twins. The new seats took their cues from Wrigley Field’s Cubs.
The Blue Jays’ decision to work with Legends, the same concessionaire as the Yankees, inspired the premium seating and lounge areas. In addition to lesser upgrades still in the works, Blue Jays EVP/Business Operations Marnie Starkman described this as a “generational renovation of the dome.”
A restoration of the Rogers Centre, estimated to cost close to $400 million, “isn’t the software patch this team desperately needs.” Rosie DiManno of Toronto stated that the Blue Jays are “already a worrisome mess” just seven games into the 2024 season.
The Rogers Center can be summed up as a “redundant ball yard.” DiManno: “The much-hated Rogers Communications cartel, the proprietors of the name, lacked the guts and the foresight to knock everything down and start anew.
However, that might have been overlooked if the front staff had addressed the team’s numerous problems throughout the winter instead of obstinately adhering to its obviously ineffective approach.
No Juan Soto, no Gabriel Moreno, and “possibly no Vlad and no Bo after next season,” according to DiManno, were included. DiManno: “And in the end, there won’t be sell-out audiences to witness it all fall apart.”