Yankees furious with ESPN over report about contaminated food

ESPN just released a report stating that during 2016 and 2017, Yankee Stadium ranked dead last in MLB with a 79.07 percent violation rate. Naturally, the Yankees vehemently deny the findings.

Perhaps the next time you head to a Yankees game, you’ll bring your own food. ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” found that of the 43 concession outlets at Yankee Stadium, 34 of them were in some form of high-level violation.

Of the 16,000 reports taken from 111 different North American sports venues that ESPN examined, only five were found to have worse conditions than the ‘House that Jeter Built.’

Issues that were highlighted in the study include problems with food handling hygiene, soiled garments, contaminated or cross-contaminated food and improper discard.

Other findings detail the improper temperatures of hot food (below 140 degrees) — and perhaps most disgustingly — filth, insects and refuse located in the Legends Club during 2017.

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Yankee officials vehemently disagreed with ESPN’s findings, as Dan Smith, president of the stadium’s food service provider quickly released a statement:

"“We treat food safety with the utmost care. We disagree with the ESPN report, whose methodology is unexplainable,’’ Smith said.“We work closely on regular inspections with the New York City Department of Health, whose rigorous participation is welcomed,’’ Smith said. “We also complete our own independent assessments with various consultants and auditors, including food safety companies.“If any violation is pointed out, it is addressed and corrected immediately. As a result, in 2018, all of our food stands received an A-level grade, which is the highest level in New York City.”"

Whether or not you side with ESPN’s study, dropping $11 on a hot dog now comes with a whole other set of conditions.

For those wondering where other notable sports franchises rank regarding cleanliness — Coors Field, home of the Rockies, was second-worst in baseball at a 71.96 percent violation rate. As for the cross-town Mets, they weren’t much better, coming in fifth-worst at 55.17 percent (86th overall).

The best three rated venues in MLB include Miller Park (Brewers, 8.7 percent), Progressive Field (Indians, 9.02 percent) and Marlins Park (Marlins, 14.29 percent).

The top three stadiums in all of North American professional sports are Oracle Arena (Warriors, 1.12 percent), State Farm Arena (Hawks, 4.17 percent) and NRG Stadium (Texans, 4.44 percent).

And what’s a list without singling out the absolute dirtiest concessions in all the land: Spectrum Stadium (Hornets, 92 percent), Palace of Auburn Hills (former home of the Pistons, 86.11 percent) and American Airlines Center (Mavericks and Stars, 83.08 percent).