Mohegan Sun Doesn't Like View From Bleachers

Sponsor says Yankees didn't tell them their sports bar would obstruct fans

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 10:34 AM EST, Fri, Apr 10, 2009

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Imagine, if you will, that the lovely views from your window became obstructed by a structure of some kind or another. You and your neighbors found that the structure carried the name of a corporation, although the company had nothing to do with the building of the structure or blocking your views. Even though your rent was cut by more than half as a result of the obstructions, wouldn't you still hold a grudge against the company whose name was slapped on the new structure?

That's Mohegan Sun's fear after it became apparent that the sports bar in center field of Yankees stadium would block the views of the game for two sections worth of bleacher creatures. Mohegan Sun bought naming rights to the sports bar for an estimated $2 million or more, and told Richard Sandomir of the New York Times that they had no idea they'd be sponsoring something that's become a cause celebre for those turned off by the new Yankee Stadium.

"We don’t want to be held responsible for the impact the facility has on the view of seats there,” Mohegan Sun Mitchell Etess said. "We had no say in the construction of the stadium, and I’m certain that this was designed long before we made the deal."

While they certainly didn't have anything to do with the construction, they could have asked to see a model of what they were buying. Their argument is about the same as buying a house without looking at it first, and then suing the guy who sold it to you because you thought there were three bathrooms instead of two. Mohegan Sun wanted their name in a prominent place in the stadium and only started caring when they kept seeing that name associated with an eyesore. They do and that's their bad decision.

With the tickets now $5 and the obstructions well publicized, it's hard to get too upset about people who still choose to buy them. One of the nice things about the new style of stadiums is the ability to wander around the whole park and stand in different spots to enjoy the game. That mitigates any blockages, especially with a terraced, unobstructed bleacher food stand nearby.

Of course, the Yankees aren't making that any more appealing. According to Sandomir, Yankee Stadium security forced people back to their seats right after they bought food during last weekend's exhibition games. That's much more offensive than any obstructed view.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.