Going, Going, Green
by Jennifer Altavilla

Unfortunately, the field is often the only green part of a Major League baseball stadium. In fact, it seems impossible that ballparks, with their excessive debris; outrageous energy bills; and enormous irrigation costs can ever be environmentally friendly. But against all odds the Washington Nationals-a team with one of the lowest payrolls and lowest average attendance in baseball-unveiled the first "green" professional sports stadium in the United States last March.

The $611 million, 41,000-seat Nationals Park Stadium is fitted with everything from energy-saving light fixtures, thermally efficient walls, and even a 6,300 square foot "green roof," a roof where small trees and plants grow, over the concession stand that will help to reduce heating and cooling costs. Nationals Park recycles all glass, plastics, cardboard, biodegradable cups and napkins, and even the leftover frying oil which becomes bio-diesel fuel. Nationals Park also features a three-part filtration system that separates waste into three categories: general debris, stadium debris (peanut shells, candy wrappers, etc.), and fertilizers to prevent harmful chemicals and waste from being dumped into the nearby Anacostia River. The new home of the Nationals will not only help to reduce water pollution, but will reduce water consumption through water-conserving plumbing (which will reduce total water use by 37 percent), air-cooled rather than water-cooled chillers for concessions, and drought-resistant field grass and decorative vegetation. National Park also discourages greenhouse gas emissions in two ways: by only offering 1,200 parking spaces, five percent of which are reserved for carpools and hybrid cars, and by being in close proximity to the public bus and subway systems.

In total, it cost the city of Washington D.C. $1.2 million-already incorporated into the original budget—to get Nationals Park certified as a "green building" according to the standards of the Washington, D.C. Sports and Entertainment commission. Such a cost seems minimal, considering the amount of money the city will save in years to come through the various energy and water saving measures implemented in the stadium. But if it costs so little to be "green," then why aren't more teams following suit?

Both the New York Yankees and New York Mets are premiering state-of-the-art ballparks this March, but neither stadium can even remotely be considered "green." Where the Nationals focused on economy, the Yankees concentrated on extravagance, which in Yankees terms in synonymous with the "fan experience." The stadium is laced with $15-16 million worth of wiring infrastructure and peppered with 1,100 flat-screen, high definition video monitors on which fans can access instant replay, order concessions, even track the post-game traffic patterns. Many of those features will only be accessible in luxury boxes. However, many features will eventually be available to every individual via seat monitors, or cell phone programs. In the meantime, the majority of Yankee fans will have to be content with the high-definition televisions installed in all bathrooms and concession stands.

So how can two drastically different stadiums be opened within one year of each other? The truth is, the contradiction between Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium is a manifestation of contrasting baseball ideologies and a budget discrepancy caused by the lack of a salary cap. Small market teams like the Nationals-those with small payrolls, few big name players, little media attention and often few fans-are more likely to be willing to spend money on going green. Teams like the Nationals don’t have to worry about impressing the media, celebrity players, or snobbish fans. Such teams tend to focus more on the game itself and less on the entertainment aspect of baseball. A "green" stadium like Nationals Park keeps the attention the sport, while at the same time establishes the organization—and hopefully the team itself-as innovative and up-and-coming.

In contrast, the Yankees have the largest payroll in baseball, garner the most media attention, snag the biggest celebrities, and have legions of fans throughout the world. Their popularity is not necessarily connected with their present success, but their status as the most winning franchise in sports history. Because of the team's iconic status and it's location in the economic capital of the United States, the Yankees have morphed into a symbol of U.S. extravagance and capitalist greed. More a brand than a team in many ways, the Yankees feel the need to cater to their most wealthy fans as well as to their mega-rich players. Fans and players alike expect a certain experience when they come to Yankee stadium, one that is just as intimately connected to consumerism as it is to baseball.

Thus, baseball will never truly be green. Both a sport and a commercial operation, a pastime and a consumer market, it will always be forced to choose between competing values. Until "green" becomes glamorous and consumerism goes out of style, the greenest part of most stadiums will still be the outfield grass.