Mets urged to name stadium for Robinson

New York State Senator Malcolm Smith has asked Mets’ owner Fred Wilpon to consider naming their new stadium, expected to be completed by 2009, after famed baseball player and civil rights figure Jackie Robinson.
In a letter to Wilpon, Smith states, “Jackie Robinson was not only an outstanding baseball player of his generation, but a symbol of a new future for millions of Americans throughout the United States who prayed for a future without segregation.”
Jackie Robinson is the first and only Major League player to have his uniform number 42 retired by every team in organized baseball. He is arguably the most influential baseball player and sports figure ever. Throughout his career he struggled with racism and segregation but still managed to maintain a batting average of .311 in the ten years he played in the majors.
The new Mets Stadium, designed by HOK Sport architects, will be built in Willets Point, which stands adjacent to the site of the 1964 World’s Fair. The new stadium is projected to have a capacity of 45,000 and offer four deluxe restaurants while Shea presently has only two. The new stadium will resemble Ebbets Field, former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team Robinson played on for his entire career.
According to a Mets representative, the organization has not gotten far enough along in the process to even consider a name.
The cost of construction is expected to reach between $500 and $600 million. The Mets will be paying $420 million of that tab. Corporate sponsorship of the stadium may affect naming rights.
This will be the third stadium for the NY Mets in the 45 years they have been a Major League Baseball franchise. Shea Stadium is one of the oldest MLB stadiums left in the country.