The King Of Ballpark Food

The King Of Ballpark Food

In 1934, his funeral was attended by Babe Ruth, Yankees manager Joe McCarthy, Christy Mathewson’s widow and over 500 sports celebrities, family and friends.

Everyone was there to mourn the death of a ballpark food salesman. But he wasn’t just any concessionaire. Harry M. Stevens is credited by the National Baseball Hall of Fame for having created the modern ballpark experience.

After a working in a mine and later as a book salesman, Stevens started selling his new and improved scorecard at baseball stadiums in the 1880’s. He’d wear a red coat and top hat and yell “you can’t tell the players without a scorecard!”

Shortly thereafter, Stevens saw potential in selling ballpark food. At the time, offerings were mostly beer, lemonade, ham sandwiches and ice cream.

Stevens realized that: “baseball games begin in the middle of the afternoon as a general rule and that means the spectator has had his lunch. The crisp air sharpens his appetite and he wants something to satisfy this craving before he goes home to dinner. He has no time to leave his seat between innings, so he wants something he can eat while watching the game.”

On a cold spring day in 1901 at the Polo Grounds, Stevens directed his staff to place warm sausages, with mustard and relish, inside warm rolls. Originally called dachshund sandwiches, hot dogs became an instant hit.

Stevens secured concessions at other major league ball parks and introduced soda pop, popcorn and his famous “double-jointed peanuts” which he grew on leased land in Virginia. Babe Ruth, who considered Stevens a father figure, once ate a dozen hot dogs and eight bottles of soda between games of a doubleheader. Besides baseball Stevens served food at horse racing tracks and boxing matches.

Tip your cap to Harry Stevens next time you’re eating a hot dog at the stadium!