Here's some not-so-great advice: If you're biking to Yankee Stadium, you have to leave your helmet at home — or you'll have to risk losing it or pay $20 to stow it off-site.
Sports fan James Rather discovered that the hard way before Wednesday night's Major League Soccer match between NYC Football Club and the New England Revolution. Rather, who lives in Alphabet City, uses Citi Bike every day for work — and always uses a helmet. But on Wednesday, he arrived at Yankee Stadium only to learn that his live-saving helmet was not welcome inside.
"I wasn't about to throw away a $75 helmet; leaving it fastened to the nearest signpost or tree would also be tantamount to throwing it away," Rather told Streetsblog.
Security guards told him about a fallback plan: S&A Sports, across from the stadium on River Avenue, rents lockers for $20 a pop, which the store has been doing for about a year, earning a nifty profit from the stadium's absurd no-helmet policy.
"There’s no explanation for the policy," said Rather, who watched the NYCFC loss without further incident. "It’s just idiotic.”
The Yankee website says that helmets of all sorts are prohibited — along with masks, selfie sticks, GoPros, costumes, confetti, skateboards, and laptops. (In contrast, Citi Field, the home of the Mets, allows all of those things.)
Abdul Salahi, who works at S & A Sports, said the store began offering locker rentals last season. Ballpark-goers drop off their prohibited items, pay $20, and come pick them up before the store closes at 11:15 p.m.
So I gave my prohibited GoPro to a lady on the street outside Yankee Stadium and then she actually gave it to me back after the game... 🙏🏼
— mikaela (@mikaelaaa_s) September 11, 2016
“A lot of people want a locker," Salahi said. "A lot of people come in.”
That didn't surprise Rather.
“I’m sure they make a lot of money out of that," he said. "It almost smacks as a racket — this little sporting goods store has a back room full of lockers.”
Keep it in mind for all upcoming Stadium events. Next up? Saturday afternoon's contest between NYCFC and DC United.
Streetsblog reached out to the Yankees for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
