Why Is The Athletic Hinting Blame At The Yanks For A Broken Down Macombs Dam Park?

That’s the important part. Start with the owner. Here’s the fact that should probably be printed in giant letters:

THE NEW YORK YANKEES DO NOT OWN MACOMBS DAM PARK. New York City does. And NYC Parks operates it. That’s not my interpretation. That’s the history of the entire Yankee Stadium redevelopment. When the new Yankee Stadium project displaced recreational facilities on roughly 22 acres of existing parkland, the city developed replacement recreational facilities and new parkland. NYC Parks’ own environmental documents described the replacement plan and the department’s intention to develop those recreational facilities for the community.

Today, NYC Parks itself describes Macombs Dam Park as a 17-acre public facility containing the track, soccer/football field, basketball and handball courts and the portion constructed largely on the footprint of the old Yankee Stadium.

So if the grass is bad, if a field needs reconstruction, if the lighting needs replacing, if holes aren’t being repaired properly, how does that become the Yankees’ responsibility? Reading the Athletic article, I feel like this Sam Blum dude is trying to subliminally place blame on the New York Yankees.  I don’t like it. 

Not Yankee Global Enterprises. Not Hal Steinbrenner. Not Brian Cashman. Department of Parks and Recreation.

Even better, the city’s FY2026 preliminary budget response says the agency supports the Macombs Dam Park project but that funding is needed. The later executive-budget response says the agency recommends funding it, but “the availability of funds is uncertain.”

There it is. That’s the story.

New York City has a park that New York City is responsible for maintaining, and New York City knows it needs major work. Yet somehow the money isn’t completely there. And now apparently they need $54 million. That’s right, according to reporting surrounding The Athletic’s investigation, a complete renovation is projected at approximately $54 million, with roughly $48 million designated.

Meaning we’re about $6 million short. And apparently that is enough to keep the larger project from moving forward. But here’s where this story goes from frustrating to ridiculous.

Torres’ office tried to provide federal funding. The city didn’t take it.

According to NYC Parks, the proposed federal money came with Build America, Buy America requirements, and the city didn’t have enough time to evaluate and comply with those requirements before the deadline.

I’m sorry… what? We have a deteriorating public park. We need money. A congressman’s office tries to find federal money. And government bureaucracy helps prevent the government from taking government money to fix the government-owned park.

But we’re looking across the street at Yankee Stadium? Come on. Now… you’re asking, where do the Yankees fit into this?   This is where I think The Athletic’s framing deserves some pushback.

The Yankees should care deeply about this place. And apparently they have. The Yankees say it has contributed nearly $2 million to Macombs Dam Park over the years, provided groundskeeping assistance and training and supported community programs. The Yankees have also requested estimates for immediate repairs and are considering additional assistance.

Could the Yankees do more? Absolutely. They’re the New York Yankees. They have the resources. This is their backyard. Their history is literally underneath part of this park. If Hal Steinbrenner wants to help close a funding gap or finance repairs, wonderful. I’d applaud him for it. But there’s a huge difference between saying:

“The Yankees should help.”

and

“The Yankees are responsible.”

They aren’t the same thing. Let’s point blame at where the blame should go.

No. 2 — THE CITY’S CAPITAL-BUDGET PROCESS. Community Board 4 asked for reconstruction. Parks agreed it was needed. Then came the magic words every New Yorker loves hearing: Funding needed. Funding uncertain.  A $54 million reconstruction sitting roughly $6 million short while the facility continues deteriorating is a government problem, not a baseball problem.

No. 3 — THE BUREAUCRACY SURROUNDING THE FEDERAL MONEY. Torres tried to bring federal money into the equation. The city says compliance and timing issues prevented it from accepting that funding. Whatever the bureaucratic explanation, residents are still staring at the same lousy fields. That’s a failure.

No. 4 — LOCAL ELECTED LEADERSHIP. Elected officials don’t personally mow the grass, but this is exactly why capital budgets and constituent pressure exist. When a major neighborhood recreational facility deteriorates for years, everybody representing that neighborhood should be screaming until the money is secured and the work is done. Torres deserves credit for raising the issue and attempting to find federal funding. Others need to finish the job.

No. 5 — THE YANKEES. Yes, I’m putting them on the list. But they’re fifth, not first. Their responsibility is different. It’s a community responsibility, not the primary governmental responsibility for maintaining a city park. The Yankees benefited tremendously from the redevelopment surrounding the new stadium. Macombs Dam Park is their neighbor. Heritage Field preserves the footprint and memory of their former home. They should help. They should probably help significantly. But asking the Yankees to contribute toward fixing NYC’s park is very different from suggesting the Yankees somehow allowed their park to deteriorate. It’s not their park.

Except that’s not really what happened. I’m perfectly willing to blast the Yankees. But I’m not going to blame the Yankees for something simply because their stadium happens to make a great backdrop for the photograph.

If The Athletic wants to investigate why Macombs Dam Park has deteriorated, great. Investigate it, but investigate it right. Follow the responsibility all the way through City Hall. Ask NYC Parks why routine maintenance wasn’t enough. Ask why the reconstruction wasn’t funded earlier. Ask why a project everybody apparently agrees is necessary still doesn’t have all its money. Ask how federal funding was allowed to slip away. Ask every elected official involved what happens next. And yes, ask the Yankees what they’re willing to contribute.

Just don’t confuse being the rich neighbor who could help fix the problem with being the government agency responsible for the property. Those are two very different things. Macombs Dam Park absolutely represents broken promises.

The Bronx deserves better. The kids playing there deserve better. And the old Yankee Stadium site sure as hell deserves better. But if we’re going to assign blame, assign it accurately.

This is a New York City park. Maybe we should start by asking New York City why it allowed it to get this bad.

–Alvin Izzo