Stadium Food, an ode to the art

Why is it here and , Why is it so good?

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Written by: Aidan DeMuro

Could you imagine baseball with no hot dogs? What about football games without wings? and even worse, a soccer game with no beer. It’s crucial is it not?

How do stadium eats heighten our enjoyment of the sports we watch? and why the hell did it become such a big part of the sporting experience anyway?

Stadium food started alongside baseball’s emergence as the dominant cultural pastime and sport in America around the mid-19th century.

In the games infancy there was no organized concessions in the stadium, leaving locals to sell cheap, handheld foods outside the stadium.

Towards the turn of the century, a mass influx of German immigrants to the Midwest brought with them “Dachshund Sausages”, long, slender frankfuerters made from various meat trimmings, served with a bread roll and sauerkraut.

This. This is where the revolution happened.

It would be here, the blueprint for the modern day hot dog would be born. These “Dachshund Sausages” proved to be a hot staple at baseball games and local vendors would sell out at stadiums across the U.S.

Harry M. Stevens, a British immigrant and baseball fan who migrated to Ohio in the 1880’s took note of this hype. After selling scorecards to baseball stadiums for the previous years with some luck, Stevens decided to move to catering. It would be here in 1894 where Stevens would be granted the catering rights to Madison Square Garden selling these “Dachshund Sausages” rebranded to the modern “Hot Dog”. Stevens would make a killing and his business model began to spread.

Stevens’ new concessions stands started appearing at major sporting events including Boxing, Horse racing, Football and water polo. It is here where our contemporary experience of sports and entertainment as a spectator would be crafted.

While he didn’t understand at the time, Stevens business practices highlighting the interplay between Sport and Food would birth massive cultural traditions, uniting and creating nostalgic core memories for sports fans for the better part of the next century and a half.

Without Stevens contribution, some of my personal favorite sports memories like singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” while eating peanuts and Cracker Jack, or watching the head coach get a gatorade shower at the end of a good game, or getting to eat my moms special game day artichoke dip, could be compromised.

img_7370-2-1 — Seahawks coach Pete Carroll getting a Gatorade bath during Super Bowl XLVIII, 2014

Throughout the past century and a half of innovation of stadium eats, various sporting teams across the U.S. have adopted their own ritualistic food traditions, showcasing regional dishes throughout the area, the history behind them, and why they are so damn good.

Look at the tailgating traditions of the NFL, sports fans cook giant spreads of their states finest. For the Bills you got giant trays of the finest buffalo wings, at the Kansas City Chiefs game you’ll find specialty KC burn ends, a staple of Missouri BBQ.

These unique food traditions in the sports world give way to an unforgettable fan experience and atmosphere, and allows sports fans to feel even closer to their team and unique traditions they hold close to them. Overall, creating the unique fan experience we crave