
### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 7](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

Newport is probably one of Rhode Island’s biggest tourist attractions. Celebrities such as Jay Leno and freakin’ TAYLOR SWIFT (Kelce) have been known to vacation here, and even without the celeb buzz, tourists flock to its famous mansions and the Newport Casino - which isn’t a casino in the modern sense, but rather the current home of the International Tennis Hall of Fame[^1]. Of course, I'm here to talk about a different sport: baseball.

The Gulls were founded in 1998 as the Rhode Island Gulls, but their story doesn't start in Newport: rather, they originally plaed in Cranston, RI (near Providence). Three years later, they moved to Newport, and have been one of the most successful operations in all of New England: not only do they have the most titles in the NECBL (eight, including four in their first decade in Newport plus a recent back-to-back), they also draw some of the biggest crowds in the league - though those crowds have a bit of an odd stadium to deal with.

Cardines Field is commonly referred to as “historic”, which is to say that it’s probably one of the weirdest stadiums in all of New England. Officially, the stadium opened in 1908, making it the oldest stadium in the NECBL (and four years older than [Fenway Park](bananaball_bospt3)).

There are multiple stands surrounding the field, and they were all built at different times and in different styles. For example, the stands on the first base side and behind home plate all have roofing over the seats, but the two down the third base line don’t. Adding to the “weirdness” is the fact that the field is shoved into a city block with residences and other buildings surrounding it (within the same block). This leads to unusual things such as the first base line being cut off by a warehouse, the dugouts BOTH being on the first base side of the field, and part of the outfield fence cutting INTO center field itself thanks to a side street/house jutting into the outfield. Also, getting from stand to stand is difficult as the walkways are super narrow inside the stadium, so going out to the street and walking outside the stadium is recommended. This is especially important if you’re trying to get to the concession stand from third base/left field, as it’s basically next to the right field foul pole/warehouse.

Making all of this more difficult: your fellow fans. As mentioned earlier, Newport is traditionally one of the highest drawing teams in all of New England, so there’s going to be a lot of feet you have to avoid to get to your “seat” - a term I use kinda loosely as the stands are just wooden risers with no designated areas for either end of your legs. Also, I do have to mention that getting up and down some of the stands is kinda difficult as they're a bit steep/high.

One super nice thing about games: there's a big parking lot/garage across the street from the field (next to a transit center), and tickets for games come with a "coupon" for parking. On this note, it should also be mentioned that the park (and the garage) are along one of the main streets in Newport, and the team STERNLY warns (young) fans NOT to chase foul balls into the street (which is where MANY will end up).

### MERCH

One of the other quirks of this stadium: merch is sold OUTSIDE the stadium due to how cramped it is inside. The merch booth is built into one of the stands, but it faces the street (which adds to the idea of walking outside the stadium to get from stand to stand).

I have actually taken advantage of the booth being outside to shop for things once or twice without having to buy a ticket - specifically hats (speaking of which, Newport is somewhat unusual amongst NECBL teams as they use exclusively fitted hats). I've also had thoughts about getting other things from here, but haven’t (though one thing the team apparently sells now that they didn't when I visited: jerseys).

### ON DECK

Newport's rival across the nearby Pell Bridge.

---

[^1]: I’ve been to the Tennis Hall of Fame before. Not only is it a museum, but it has a grass court for an ATP (men's) event, plus it does feature a special court for a historic form of tennis known as "real tennis" - one of only 45 courts in the entire world. 

Historic Hijinks in a New England summer hotspot

Newport Gulls (New England Collegiate Baseball League) @ Cardines Field (Newport, RI)


If you've been following this blog for at least the last month or so, you may recall this nugget from a post about the [New Britain Bees](2026-07-27_nbbees):

> _"Also, for those wondering: I'm not likely to visit the last two summer league teams in CT, as they're both in the southeastern corner of the state (i.e. a three hour drive from home)...I have visited them in the past, and do intend on talking about them later this summer (partially as they shared a unique connection when I visited them)."_

Well, that "later" is now, as post will get into both teams and the connection they had: when I was doing these rounds, they both played at the same stadium.

Dodd Stadium was opened in 1994, and was originally built for a Double-A team that debuted that same year (the Norwich Navigators, who became the Connecticut Defenders in the 2000s). However, after years of struggling with attendances, the team eventually moved to Richmond, VA (which had a AAA team until 2008), where they are now one of the highest draws in Double-A (and just got a new stadium - one of the reasons why the AAA team left). Another affiliated team moved in a few years after the original team left, but we’ll get to them in a little bit. As a former Minor League stadium, it’s probably a bit "average” for the Futures League (though personally I kinda prefer New Britain), but was easily the highest quality stadium in the NECBL during its time (which really isn’t saying a lot). 

The stadium concourse here is at the top of the seating bowl, so there are views of the field from most of it save for right behind home plate where the press box is. Outside of that, it’s been too long since my last visit, so I can’t really recall much about the place - though in some ways, it felt kinda generic (as in VERY similar to stadiums like those of the [Somerset Patriots](2026-04-17_sompatriots), [Wilmington Blue Rocks](2026-05-03_wilbluerocks), and [New York Boulders](2026-05-08_rocboulders)). The games I came to here didn’t really feature large crowds either, so the atmosphere was pretty muted (moreso for the NECBL team, who often drew under 100 fans at Dodd).

Outside of the baseball I saw, I heard that a sale of the stadium was considered by the city of Norwich a few years ago. It doesn’t help that it’s in a corporate park, so there’s little reason to go there outside of games (plus the fact that it’s not a premier concert venue due to the presence of Mohegan Sun a mere 15 minutes away). I have no clue what happened to those plans, but I found out after initially publishing this that a local soccer team is moving in for 2027 after being somewhat nomadic in 2026 (they were looking to build a stadium in Bridgeport, but it hasn't materialized).

One small note before continuing: in something that can only be described as "intensely frustrating for me and me only", BOTH teams have gotten new hats since I last saw them. However, neither team has an online store as of the day this is being published, so I have NO IDEA how to get either of them without visiting (and as a reminder, the summer seasons are over, so I can't do anything about this until next June at the earliest). With that out of the way, let’s talk about the two teams - in order of how I saw them in 2023 (as well as 2022):

<div id="norwich" />

## Norwich Sea Unicorns (Futures League)

### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 6](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

The Norwich Sea Unicorns were founded in 2010 as an affiliated Minor League Baseball team in the New York-Penn League until it was eliminated in 2020, when they joined the Futures League (they were originally the Connecticut Tigers, but rebranded just in time for the pandemic to cancel what was supposed to be their last season as an affiliate). Since joining the Futures League, they’ve become a dynasty - having won the league title three times in a row from 2023-2025 (which represent three of the six years they’ve been in the league), but their in-state rival (aka the Bees) ended that run this year by beating them in the league semifinals.

I mentioned the potential sale of Dodd Stadium in the intro, and the reason I know about said sale was because the Futures League was worried that a sale of Dodd  would almost certainly endanger the future of the Sea Unicorns (and potentially the league itself if I'm being honest), but I don’t remember if this situation got resolved (or how). I've also heard rumors of one of the independent baseball leagues taking interest in moving in, however, so there's also that to think about (though this may have just been a WILD rumor).

While I don't remember that much about the 2022 game outside of it being the night before a weeklong vacation in the Carolinas (the same one where I saw the [Wilmington Sharks](2026-06-22_ilmsharks)[^1] for the first time), the 2023 game was actually one of the fastest baseball games I’ve ever been to, as it hit the halfway point (mid-fifth) in exactly one hour, and then finished in just over two hours (no pitch clock BTW). 

### MERCH

The Sea Unicorns team store has one of those sliding doors you usually see at grocery stores and hotels as well as one of the best team store names I’ve ever seen: the Point of Sail (and I say this NOT because I used to work for a PoS company). In my visits there, I found a lot of old Connecticut Tigers/NYPL items, including game used jerseys (one of which I bought), a few hats (which I did NOT buy), and even NYPL and Minor League game balls - this despite EVERYTHING that happened between 2019 (the final NYPL season after which the team rebranded) and 2021 (the team's Futures League debut).

Sadly, it seems the team has decided to shut down online merchandise sales, as their old shop page (which was an MiLB shop page) now just redirects to the team website[^2].

<div id="mystic" />

## Mystic Schooners (New England Collegiate Baseball League)

### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 10](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

The Mystic Schooners are the longest continuous operation in the NECBL. They trace their history all the way back to the league’s first season in 1994 - though they’ve moved around quite a bit: originally from Willimantic, CT (east of Hartford and just south of UConn), the team moved to Pittsfield in the 2000s and then spent a year in [Bristol](2026-06-30_briblues) before landing in Mystic in 2011. They did win a championship in the NECBL’s first season, but have only won one other title since then (2016).

When they first moved to Mystic, the team was based out of a local high school, but in 2022, the team moved into Dodd Stadium. The reason for this move is unclear to me, but they never really felt “at home” here (bad game times, tiny crowds), so they ended up moving BACK to their old field in 2024 (which I have yet to visit BTW). From what I could glean, they don't charge admission for games here (this could be VERY wrong however).

### MERCH

For the Schooners games I went to, merch was sold at a table on the concourse, and the Sea Unicorns team store was closed. While there wasn’t a TON of special things here, the Schooners actually have a “side hustle” where they brew root bear and other sodas, and I got a growler at the second game I came to (along with a t-shirt I liked - one of few t-shirts I got from the NECBL).

Also worth noting: the Sea Unicorns charged for parking both times I went (one of few teams in the New England summer leagues to do so), but I can't remember if the Schooners did.

---

[^1]: Speaking of the Sharks, I've had to update their post, as they won the Coastal Plain League this year. 

[^2]: Several MiLB teams that were cut completely (i.e. not in the Appalachian or Draft leagues) in the 2020 realignment kept their MiLB store pages after the cut, but as of August 2026, the MiLB store page only links to affiliated teams. Keep this in mind, however, as there is one other team in this series which is affected by this...

A summer league stadium with a (relatively) long history - and TWO TEAMS

Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium (Norwich, CT)


### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 4](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

The Worcester Bravehearts are an interesting story. They came into the city of Worcester in 2014 and were the talk of the town baseball wise for a while - winning five league championships and attracting rather large crowds. However, in 2021...the WooSox moved in. There was concern that the arrival of affiliated Minor League Baseball would, in effect, kill the Bravehearts (a longer season, more seats, and a downtown location being major factors).

A few years later...I’m honestly not sure where things stand. A combination of the WooSox and other factors seemingly led to Bravehearts attendance suddenly dropping in 2022 (not helping: the team finished 7th out of eight teams). The team was able to rebound both on and off the field, and eventually, the two teams entered a “strategic partnership” (which included the WooSox stadium hosting the league’s All Star Game); however, this coincided with the sale of the Bravehearts - a move which is still up for debate as to whether it will help or hurt. One thing that did raise some eyebrows after the sale, however, was the departure of the team’s long-time General Manager (who ended up taking a job with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies of Minor League Baseball's Eastern League). One thing that kinda sorta helps the Bravehearts (for better or worse): WooSox tickets are apparently some of the priciest in all of Minor League Baseball[^1].

Fitton Field itself (or Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field as that’s the official name of the baseball stadium) is actually pretty interesting: it’s on the campus of the [College of the Holy Cross](2025-10-21_holycrosshockey_mens) and hosted an independent team for a bit before the Bravehearts were founded (as well as a “100 inning game” for ALS research hosted by Rhode Island's LEAST favorite former Red Sox player). It has also supposedly hosted Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams, as its history dates back to 1905 - seven years before the opening of Fenway Park. 

In all honestly, there’s not much to say about the stadium: the entrance is towards the first base side of the grandstand, the stadium is more or less in the side of a hill, the concourse forms the top of the seating bowl (similar to Brockton), and there’s a picnic area near field level on the third base side. There is, however, one fun bit of “trivia”: the night before I visited for a game in 2023 (on Memorial Day Weekend), the scoreboard caught fire and was out of commission for the game (and was eventually replaced of course). The PA announcer for the game made several jokes about the scoreboard between innings (partially as he had to announce the score as well).

Worcester was, along with all ten Cape League stadiums, one of the places I visited BEFORE even living in Massachusetts: we did a week on Cape Cod in 2021, but I went up early and caught a game here[^2]. In addition to many Bravehearts games over the three years I made visits (2021, 2022, and 2023), I also saw a special "police vs. fire department" game which featured wavy foul lines and a walk-off (to date, it's actually the most recent time I've been to Fitton Field).

### MERCH

Each time I visited, merchandise was sold immediately to the right of the gate. From what I remember, the stand has various layouts - some of them allowing fans to walk into them, and others not as much. 

One of the reasons I ended up making many, MANY visits in 2022 specifically: jerseys. The team sold out of jerseys in my size when I had arrived on opening night, and it took almost a month for them to get restocked. In addition, I once ordered a jersey from the team only to have to give it back, as it was requested by the player's family (I did get a replacement however).

---

[^1]: Part of why I say "apparently": I've been to ONE WooSox game, but it was a company outing, so I didn't have to buy my ticket (also worth noting: my last Red Sox game at [Fenway](bananaball_bospt3) was a free ticket as well).

[^2]: Had this trip included a visit to [Brockton](2025-08-22_brorox), I MIGHT have a Brockton Rox hat with a closed back (which, in case you forgot, I don't).

Worcester's oldest current baseball team

Worcester Bravehearts (Futures League) @ Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field (Worcester, MA)


### [SUMMER OF BASEBALL 2023: STOP 2](2026-08-16_summerofbaseball2023)

I realize I've never spoken about _why_ the Futures League exists when the NECBL is a thing, but a big part of its existence is two groups trying to set up NECBL clubs but being denied (the Futures League started up in 2011). While the Futures League is, more or less, a "standard" summer baseball league, many of its teams play in stadiums much more "built" than NECBL teams as many Futures League stadiums are former minor and independent league stadiums, but there are some exceptions to that - including today's team.

The Westfield Starfires were added to the Futures League in 2019 after another team (who will be talked about later) moved to the NECBL (similar to [Bristol](2026-06-30_briblues)). As the newest member of the league with no Minor and/or Independent League ties, there's not that much to say about their history, but that's also because they've only been to the league's championship series one time - which they lost.

As alluded to earlier, Billy Bullens Field is a bit of an anomaly in the Futures League (though it’s similar to the aforementioned team to be named later). Instead of being a former minor league/indie stadium, it’s basically a more built-up community ballpark (similar to, once again, [Bristol](2026-06-30_briblues)). In that sense, the atmosphere is quite different from your average Futures League game: it’s more similar to a higher level NECBL field (or the [Wilmington Sharks](2026-06-22_ilmsharks)) than a regular Futures League game.

There is a rather large grandstand with plastic seat backs, but you could just as easily sit on the concrete of it (partially as some parts do not have the plastic seats). In my visits here, I’ve never really explored what’s on the first base line: the gate is on the third base side, and concessions and merch are right next to it heading towards the left field foul pole, so there's really no reason to go past the grandstand.

I will note, however, that this is the stadium where I learned the magic of putting barbecue sauce on plain mac and cheese, so there’s that...

### MERCH

It’s hard to miss the merchandise tent, as it’s basically right after you walk in. While most of it isn't super "out of the ordinary", Bullens Field has apparently seen a lot of crazy and interesting things happen during games, as the Starfires use the term "Bullens Magic" quite a bit (to the point that it's all over their merch).

I’ll be honest: I think Westfield has my favorite hat in the Futures League; there’s something about the colors and logo that appeal a lot to me. Having said that, however...they didn’t have any hats I was interested in the first time I came here. I was able to get a hat the second time, however, and I actually got jerseys both times.

A modern anomaly for the Futures League

Westfield Starfires (Futures League) @ Billy Bullens Field (Westfield, MA)


_(NOTE: The day this was originally published was the final day of the New England summer leagues, as the Futures League crowned its 2026 champions: the [New Britain Bees](2026-07-27_nbbees)[^1].)_

Back in 2023, I had a goal: Visit every summer collegiate team I knew of in New England. This ended up taking MONTHS of planning, as I had to figure out how to squeeze the 31 visits into the weekends of June and July (though thankfully, I was also able to use a few weekdays as well). After each visit, I wrote down a few thoughts on the stadiums and what I thought about the experiences (aka the precursor to THIS site).

In the years that followed. I never looked back at what I wrote...until I started this blog. I felt that what I had back then was too widely varied: some were interesting, others a bit too simple, and I actually completely forgot to write about one of the venues! However, with me starting this blog combined with the fact that returns to many of these places being MASSIVE question marks for the future, I felt it was finally time to "finish" the posts and publish them here. They're going to be going up on days when I don't have a "game" post going up (because - surprise surprise - I have a few things I plan on doing this month). Also, don't be surprised if they're a bit more "vague" than normal - many of them are going to be based solely off of what I remember from THREE YEARS AGO.

I'm going to be posting these in the order I visited them that summer (i.e. 2023, as I visited MANY of the teams the year before in a different order) with a few exceptions, as there are - of course - several teams in this list that I've visited since starting this blog, so they're already here in the list (no point talking about them a second time, right?):

1. [Brockton Rox (Futures League)](2025-08-22_brorox)[^2]
2. [Westfield Starfires (Futures League)](2026-08-17_wesstarfires) 
3. [Nashua Silver Knights (Futures League)](2025-08-19_nassilverknights)
4. [Worcester Bravehearts (Futures League)](2026-08-18_worbravehearts) 
5. [New Britain Bees (Futures League)](2026-07-27_nbbees)
6. [Norwich Sea Unicorns (Futures League)](2026-08-19_doddstadium#norwich) 
7. [Newport Gulls (New England League)](2026-08-20_nptgulls) **\*\*NEWEST\*\***
8. COMING SOON
9. COMING SOON
10. [Mystic Schooners (New England League)](2026-08-19_doddstadium#mystic)[^3] 
11. COMING SOON
12. COMING SOON
13. COMING SOON
14. COMING SOON
15. COMING SOON
16. _COMING LATER (I'll explain in due time)_
17. COMING SOON
18. COMING SOON
19. COMING SOON
20. [Wareham Gatemen (Cape League)](2025-08-20_wargatemen)
21. COMING SOON
22. [Chatham Anglers (Cape League)](2025-08-17_chaanglers)
23. COMING SOON
24. COMING SOON
25. COMING SOON
26. COMING SOON
27. COMING SOON
28. [Danbury Westerners (New England League)](2026-07-24_dbywesterners)
29. [Bristol Blues (New England League)](2026-06-30_briblues)
30. COMING SOON
31. COMING SOON

A few final notes:

1. The Futures League added a new team in 2026: a revival of the Lowell Spinners of New York-Penn League fame. I DID have thoughts about visiting during July 4th weekend, but traffic concerns (plus the fact that it was HOT) ended up scuttling the trip - though I did briefly visit their stadium back in 2025 (before it was announced they would be the Spinners again) and [wrote a few thoughts on the place](lelacheurpark).

2. This list does not include the [Winnipesaukee Muskrats](2026-04-11_wpsmuskrats), who had folded before 2023.

3. I am aware of the existence of a fourth league (the Greater Northeast Collegiate Baseball League, which is a member of [The Players League](2026-06-22_shashallywags)). However, as it's currently based out of a single stadium in Maine (and the league's relative "lack of status" seems to be leading to stability issues), I'm not sure if or when I'll be able to get to it. I did TRY to visit this stadium once as I drove past it, but an event was going on that I didn't want to deal with (it's in Old Orchard Beach, which is one of Maine's bigger tourist destinations).

4. I actually wrote about the Cape League stadiums as far back as 2021 after a family vacation on the Cape, but sadly that work appears to be lost to time...

---

[^1]: "Fun" fact: the Futures League playoffs started the day after game 1 of BOTH the Cape League and NECBL championship series.

[^2]: Yes, this post is technically NOT about the summer league side, but it goes into them in pretty decent depth, so it's what I'm using for this series. Also, as mentioned in that post, the Rox no longer compete in the Futures League.

[^3]: The Schooners have moved (back) to a local high school (where they played prior to playing at Dodd Stadium); I have not visited them here nor do I know if/when I will be able to.


The last few things I've never published are going up soon!

The Summer of Baseball 2023: an Introduction


### _[2026: New Venue #27](2026newvenuelist)_

MetLife Stadium: a modern stadium saddled with not just one miserable team, but TWO of them!

On one side, you have the Giants. Sure, they’re responsible for two of the worst days of my life growing up as a kid from Boston, but outside of those two Super Bowls, what else have they done since 2000? Well...I guess you could say they’ve done a lot of things, but winning isn’t super common among those things (especially since Tom Coughlin left). Of course, landing John Harbaugh might help them this year, but we'll see what happens with that (as part of the reason he was available was because it was believed he may be well past his prime).

On the other side, you've got the team THIS post is about: the New York Jets (nee [Titans of New York](2026-07-12_mlquadball)). I can think of exactly five things I know them for:

1. One random as hell Super Bowl win almost 60 years ago (and they haven't been back to the Super Bowl since)
2. A slew of draft "errors" (mainly the almighty Sanchize)
3. That whole thing with hiring Bill Belichick only to replace him shortly afterwards (TWICE)[^1]
4. Them creating their greatest demon by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuA0NKBRmIA" target="blank">almost killing Drew Bledsoe</a>
5. <a id="#bf-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82RIfy-gRa4" target="blank">The worst thing to happen on American Thanksgiving since the Pilgrims gave the Native Americans smallpox</a> (okay, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch...)

For the better part of the 21st century, American football hasn’t exactly been a major source of joy for folks in the New York City Metropolitan Area (and I didn't even mention the Giants getting CRUSHED by the murder that is the Baltimore Ravens in 2000[^2]). However, thanks to the abject misery, tickets to both teams have a chance to be dirt cheap!

Case in point: I started looking into doing this trip in July of 2025, and tickets to a preseason Giants-Patriots game were listed as low as $7! Sure, it was a preseason game full of dudes who would otherwise never sniff the NFL (plus expectations for the Pats weren't very high going into last season), but still...you can't beat that price (I ended up having something else during that game however). I figured that if I wanted to get to a game this year (especially to tick MetLife off for my original [_26 in 26_](2026newvenuelist) goal plus the fact that the NFL was the only Big Four league I’d never seen live), I’d be better off trying to go earlier in the season - or go in the preseason (i.e. THIS game).

As for the stadium itself, MetLife is the NFL’s largest stadium by seating capacity with 82,500 seats, and given the state of both the Giants and Jets plus the NFL’s old blackout policy[^3], it feels like a miracle that they’re able to sell tickets to football games. On some level, it was built as a "compromise": it was opened in 2010 as a replacement to the old Giants Stadium (which was basically right next to what is now MetLife), but was designed to be more "neutral" as the Jets were actually involved in its design/construction unlike the old stadium (as opposed to their highly controversial plan to move to the west side of Manhattan). Of course, there's a LOT more than American gridiron football that goes on here: it's one of the New York City metro's biggest concert venues, and ~~it~~ New York/New Jersey Stadium hosted the (kinda sorta crap) finale of that big soccer tournament a month or so before this game (which I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say what it is).

While this is my first visit for a sporting event, I’ve actually been inside MetLife once before: I did a tour on a random weekend back in 2019, which ended with us getting to stand on the same field where names such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJPf4h9GZvg" target="blank">Desean Jackson</a> and [Steve Gregory](#bf-link) have etched themselves into the annals of NFL history. Sure, neither player ever played a game for either New York team, but they’re still responsible for some of the most memorable moments in MetLife Stadium history (okay, fine, there’s also the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxbz3DDQzHU" target="blank">OBJ catch</a>...).

In terms of amenities here...I'm really not sure what to say. There are three levels of concourse here plus a ground level plaza, but seemingly, only the "third" level concourse is "complete": there's a section of the first level concourse which goes down to the ground level plaza (which, it should be noted, does not encircle the entire stadium - kinda like [Sports Illustrated Stadium's ground level](2025-09-08_gothamfc)), and the second level concourse is broken up by premium areas which you need a ticket or stamp to get into (and keep reading to find out how I learned about this). Said concourses are fairly similar to just about every other stadiums of this ilk (i.e. just about EVERY Big Four/Five stadium I've talked about on this blog), so there's really not much to say about them - though the intense grayness of the stadium due to it being designed to be "neutral" doesn't help (for what it's worth, Giants Stadium had red seats).

Despite being a major stadium in a major media market, MetLife is widely regarded as one of the WORST stadiums in North America. I won't get into ALL of why that is, but a BIG reason outside the "neutrality" of the stadium dampening any potential vibes: traffic and parking. Traffic in and around the stadium is usually AWFUL for games - partially as driving in is the way most fans get here with few public transit options normally (though NJ Transit does have train service for games including this one - though I didn't see anything about it in the days leading up to the game). With the Jets usually charging WILDLY EXPENSIVE rates for parking (even in the preseason seemingly), I ended getting a parking pass on the same secondary site I got my ticket at - and for a shockingly low price, I managed to snag a spot in one of the lots closest to the stadium.

Having mentioned that, I should also mention that inasmuch as I've been using the secondary ticket market quite a bit this year (namely for things such as [MLB All-Star Sunday](2026-07-13_mlballstar2026)), somehow, someway...for this game, I got access to THIS:

![a photo of a club area at MetLife Stadium](/images/2026/0814-coronaclub.jpeg)

This is one of the club areas on the second level concourse that you need special tickets to access. It's completely indoors and climate controlled, and given how warm it was outside, having a cool place to "escape" to was very nice (and conversely, having somewhere to warm up when it's 20ºF outside sounds helpful too). If you're thinking about ignoring your seats and watching the game in here, it's a bit difficult due to the back row of seats partially blocking your view (especially if those seats have fans in them). Also, the food here is WAY different than what's available in the rest of the stadium; for example, I ordered a bowl of pasta with tomato sauce here - something I don't think I've seen at a "non food-truck" concession stand at a sporting event before. Also, the seats here are padded seats, and this is the view you get for the game:

![A photo of the field at MetLife Stadium](/images/2026/0814-metlife.jpeg)

As this is a preseason game, the final result (a 24-16 Jets loss largely caused by the Bailey Zappe experience[^4]) REALLY doesn't mean all that much given that half the guys who played the second half are probably not going to be playing in the NFL come week one (also, again, Bailey Zappe). The visiting team was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but inasmuch as I'd like to say this was their first visit since that one <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBmK2mS5_TY" target="blank">Antonio Brown crashout</a>...it's not[^5].

### MERCH

The tour I mentioned earlier did NOT include a visit to the stadium’s team store, as it was closed for whatever reason; I guess it’s only open during events. However, from what I could tell, said store covers BOTH teams with “reversible racks” (as opposed to the Giants and Jets each having their own space). I should also mention that there were many, MANY merch stands throughout the three concourses of the stadium - but none of the "satellite" merch areas had selections remotely close to what the main store was offering, so if you're looking for certain items, you really are just best off dealing with crowds in the main store.

That said, my interest in American football merchandise is rather limited - especially for teams I don't find myself caring that much about. Usually, if I am to buy anything Giants or Jets related, it's because I found it cheap somewhere (namely some hats I got at Marshalls, a Brandon Jacobs jersey I found at a thrift store, and a Zach Wilson jersey at one of those Dick’s Sporting Goods clearance outlets). At this game, that trend more or less continued: there was one rack of jerseys available at clearance prices, and while most of them were iron-on replicas (as were most of the rest of the jerseys save for a Joe Namath throwback that cost over $300), the rack somehow had a few authentic jerseys from a few years ago (the only ones in the store). This rack was clearly not meant for Indianapolis Colts fans, as pretty much all but like five of the jerseys were Sauce Gardner[^6].

On the note of authentic jerseys...I was going to get into another "unstitched/iron-on replica vs. stitched authentic" diatribe, but I think I'll spare you that nonsense (especially as I don't know that much about NFL retail jersey tiers unlike other sports). I will note, however, that if you're thinking of getting any authentic NFL jerseys, you should know that the sleeves on them are a VERY short and have elastic garters at the ends (similar to sweatpants) due to how they're typically worn (i.e. with football shoulder pads underneath). This means that, at least in my opinion, they're not exactly good to wear as a short sleeve t-shirt (or even over one as the "undersleeves" will almost certainly be longer than the jersey sleeves), but it might work over a long sleeve shirt or a hoodie (though the hoodie is probably a WAY better idea, as I felt the jersey was pretty loose in the chest - again, likely due to the expected presence of shoulder pads[^7]). 

As a small but funny side note (at least for me and other JavaScript developing folks), a few days before this game, I was at a Dicks Sporting Goods and found a helmet that had a rather strange font:

![An image of a mini helmet with the word "Jets" on it in a font that looks more like "Lets"](/images/2026/nylets.jpeg)

<figcaption>Good to know the New York Jets are up to date with ECMAScript 2015...</figcaption>

### COUNTING UP THE COST

In total, my ticket, parking, and in-stadium purchases (food and merchandise, as I got a few of the aforementioned clearance jerseys) ended up costing over $100 less than what just the ticket was going for at face value (I checked it a few days before the game). However, when you consider that the only thing I bought at "its intended price" was food (and I even got a free souvenir cup for some reason), then I honestly feel a bit DIRTY having gotten some of the things I got at the prices I got them for (the jerseys ended up being about 75% off together - and one had an MSRP of $350).

Having said THAT...I'm honestly not sure if I'd recommend going to an NFL game. Unlike other sports, the TV view pretty much captures what you'd need to see during the game, and while people complain that baseball is hard to watch as "nothing" happens between pitches/plays, American Football kinda sorta secretly has the same problem IMO. Throw in just how much things cost at a game plus the inconveniences of many NFL stadiums (more on this soon PROBABLY), and it's difficult to justify - both in terms of time and money.

\---

_As a final note, I had some thoughts about also going to Jets training camp as it’s a mere three towns away from me and free, but renovations to the facility this year meant that they had a much more limited capacity for fans[^8]. Also, I'm not going to get into the "Jersey" semantics here - yes, both the Giants and Jets play and practice in New Jersey, but they represent the New York CIty Metropolitan Area, so it makes more sense for them to be "New York" teams - even if the city probably doesn't really want them right now..._

_This post also means that I've seen three of the "Big Four" sports in 2026 (plus [Major League Soccer](2026-03-01_rbny)), with the "odd one out" being quite possibly my favorite of the bunch - the National Hockey League. I am looking at visiting a couple of its teams in the fall, however, so be on the lookout for that!_

---

[^1]: I won't get into the ENTIRE story here, but long story short: the Jets wanted to hire then disgruntled Patriots coach Bill Parcells (due to a breakdown in his relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft), but were not allowed to, so they hired Belichick while working on a deal to land Parcells as their head coach. When Parcells stepped down as coach a few years later out of SHEER PETTINESS (as Belichick had been linked with a vacant Patriots head coaching position), it triggered a clause wherein Belichick was to become the new head coach of the Jets - but he promptly resigned at his FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE.

[^2]: Yes, there are SEVERAL layers to this comment - if you don't know, however, you may be better off not looking into the history of their star player at the time. I did find his jersey at a thrift store once, but I have suspicions that it may not be genuine...<br>
Also, something something Trent Dilfer

[^3]: The policy was that games that were not sold out were to be blacked out (i.e. not broadcast) in a team's local market. A number of teams very much ran into issues with this policy back in the day, but from what I’ve heard it’s gone.

[^4]: Bailey Zappe was one of the guys the Patriots tried to trot out at quarterback between Tom Brady and Drake Maye, and while he did have a few random good weeks, he...wasn't great overall. This game didn't help him repair his rep either, as he was handed a 10-0 lead and promptly threw two interceptions which allowed the Bucs to score...ten points.

[^5]: It's not even the first time the Bucs have visited the Jets since the incident, as the two met at MetLife in the 2023 preseason.

[^6]: Sauce Gardner started last season with the Jets, but was traded to the Colts a few months into the season. The Colts won their first game with Gardner to move to 8-2, but then lost EVERY other game to fall to 8-9 on the season and firmly OUT of the playoff picture (yes, the NFL has a 17 game regular season; no, I don't believe it's super popular amongst almost fans AND players - and the league wants to go to 18 games).

[^7]: It is also possible that this was due to sizing, as the smallest size they had was a 2XL, which is a bit bigger than what I typically go for nowadays. If, for some reason, you're interested in getting an authentic Sauce Gardner jersey at a Jets game (complete with elastic garter sleeves), be forewarned that I THINK they only have 3XL and 4XL now because I only saw ONE 2XL (or smaller) jersey at the game, and, well...let's just say I have a new candidate for "the most ridiculous thing I could possibly wear to a pickleball session".

[^8]: A lot of current and former Jets players live in my area, and I have SEVERAL stories about how I've crossed paths with folks from the team over the years - at my high school, the local convenience store, and even a story I probably shouldn't tell on the internet (as it involves a funeral)...


Sportventures

The Dodd Couple

The Heart

Star Power

Summer of Baseball 2023

Enter the (Pre)Season