*Whispers* This was just Phase One 😮 Stay tuned for more details! pic.twitter.com/1oMexExjIg
Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro said the $300M, privately-funded, multi-year Rogers Centre renovation project that will break ground this offseason has "been a long time coming," according to Arden Zwelling of SPORTSNET.ca. The renovation will "impact nearly every part of the stadium’s interior," including a "full overhaul of the 33-year-old building’s lower bowl." This winter’s work will "focus primarily on Rogers Centre’s outfield." The bullpens will be "raised from the field of play and surrounded by both traditional and bleacher seating," as well as viewing platforms that will "allow fans to watch relievers warming up to enter games." Several new fan areas will be "added around the 100- and 200-level," while outfield seating closest to the field will "extend forward to the ballpark’s realigned walls." In the right-field corner, where many of the seats "don’t point towards the pitcher’s mound," the club plans to "rip out rows of seats and create a series of decks around the foul pole" to make room for more fan areas. The club’s renderings "depict a bar in the right-field corner and seating within the outfield walls." Outfield seats in the 500 level will "be removed," making way for "a pair of new non-ticketed areas overlooking left and right field." One of the areas will be "family-focused while the other will house a bar." Every seat around the upper bowl will "be removed and replaced." The club will "build a new family area and 5,000-sq. ft. weight room for its players, as well as staff locker rooms." The next phase of the renovation will be during the 2023-24 offseason, when the club plans to "demolish and replace Rogers Centre’s entire 100-level infield bowl." The project is "piloted by Populous," and is "intended to buy the Blue Jays 10-15 years to envision a longer-term solution for its outdated stadium" (SPORTSNET.ca, 7/28).
BASEBALL-SPECIFIC VENUE: In Toronto, Gregor Chisholm writes the goal is to "transform a multi-purpose facility into one that is baseball-specific while bringing fans closer to the action and providing them with a variety of viewing experiences." The lower bowl stands are "on a track system that allows seats to be rotated depending on the sport." Moving to a baseball-only venue, with a handful of concerts mixed in, allowed the Jays to "explore options with fixed seating." Part of that involves "bringing fans closer to the field." In the 100-level outfield, the stands will "be extended down to the outfield wall, eliminating the service-level gap that currently exists." Along the infield, foul territory will "be trimmed back." One notable omission from the renovations was the "installation of natural grass" (TORONTO STAR, 7/29). Shapiro said that capacity would "be reduced by the completion of the project, but would still be north of 40,000" (TORONTO SUN, 7/29).
NOT WORTH IT? The GLOBE & MAIL's Cathal Kelly wrote when a club starts talking about remodelling its stadium, this should "give you a sharp pain in your lower financial region." All these tweaks will "make Rogers Centre less offensive to the eye," but they "won’t change its major faults." It is "still going to have artificial turf." The building "still won’t drain." It is "still going to have a retractable roof." Kelly: "Investing $300-million in a building you plan either to level or do a down-to-the-studs gut job on doesn’t seem like a great idea" (GLOBE & MAIL, 7/28).
NFL touts Back Together Saturday; Kliavkoff set to present the path forward for Pac-12; Blue Jays roll out massive Rogers Center renovation and trends in sports viewership
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