Marketing Strategies

From the LA Times:

When Dodger Stadium opened 49 years ago, historian Kevin Starr observed, it was "state of the art," from its "column-free construction" and "unobstructed view of home plate from every seat" to its "escalators serving four levels" and "comfortable seats for fans."

There was just one problem, he noted: There were no drinking fountains.

Well, actually there were two, one in each team's dugout. But, of course, the fans in the 56,000-seat ballpark were not allowed to get in line with the players when they needed a sip.

One ticket-holder at the April 10, 1962, opener complained afterward to The Times that when she asked a Dodgers employee where she could get a drink of water, she was told she was welcome to use any of the taps in the ladies' rooms.

Which prompted Times columnist Jim Murray to quip: "You can, to be sure, drink direct from the tap. All you have to do is hang by your heels from the water pipes like a sloth. This way, you get more exercise than the left fielder."

The Dodgers, Murray added, "might also have pointed out that there is plenty of water under the ground if the patrons would only take the trouble to drill for it."

In the ensuing hubbub, City Councilman Edward Roybal pointed out that Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum had 150 drinking fountains and the Sports Arena had 48. He suggested that Dodger Stadium's water shortage might have been an attempt "to facilitate beer sales."

I find it hard to believe that Dodger Stadium and Disneyland not having drinking fountains was an oversight.  Sounds like a captive audience problem to me.  That's pretty entertaining.