Fenway Park, arguably the most famous ballpark in the country, is considering hosting a game that involves the hometown Boston Celtics… and I’m actually stoked as fuck about the news.
Fenway, which has been the home to numerous events like the NHL’s Winter Classic and the Notre Dame-Boston College football game this season, would require a hell of a lot of maintenance to pull off a Celts game, but it’s something being discussed.
Per an ESPN report, here’s what Celtics president Rich Gotham told The Boston Globe about the possibility of it happening:
“I’ve gotten into it. I really like the idea,” Gotham told the Globe. “I think if you can find a way to sort of differentiate the game and make it fun for fans, that’s a great thing. And the Winter Classic certainly does that.
“Even when Fenway stages certain events, like football games, it just makes it more special for people involved and the fans. I think if you can do it, great. At the same time, my job requires me to be pragmatic, so you’d need to look at the hurdles.”
The discussion began a couple of years ago, but with a ton of different factors that could affect gameplay—weather, conflicting schedules, etc.—it has always just remained a drunken dream. That might all change soon, though.
It wouldn’t be the first time an NBA game has been played outdoors, as the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors played a preseason game under the open sky in 2009, but that project failed big-time, which could be holding up this whole Fenway experiment.
This would be a rare opportunity for the league to try something different, so I hope it happens—and someone hooks me up with some tix, because Fenway is a sick place to watch an event in.