• PETA Ranks Vegetarian-Friendly Major-League Stadiums

    Written by PETA

    주전자 / CC by 2.0
    Stadium

    Animal-friendly baseball fans don't have to settle for popcorn, peanuts, and cracker jacks anymore. They can score veggie dogs, faux steak sandwiches, and vegan versions of other stadium favorites at many big-league ballparks. Check out PETA's list of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly major-league ballparks of 2010 to see where your team ranks in the standings:

    1. Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies)
      It's hard to say whether the Phils' biggest off-season acquisition was ace Roy Halladay or the new faux chicken sandwich and vegan rice crispie treats offered at concession stands. Added to other meat-free fare, including veggie burgers, Southwestern black-bean burgers, veggie dogs, faux steak sandwiches, veggie chicken steaks, mock crab cakes, hummus and pita chips, and fresh fruit, Citizens Bank Park is the first undisputed dynasty in the history of PETA's prestigious rankings.
    2. AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants)
      Vegetarian meals are flying off AT&T Park's concessions stands faster than a Tim Lincecum fastball. Meat-free Giants fans can power up with a protein-packed veggie dog or Gardenburger along with a brand-new mixed vegetable sandwich, a portobello mushroom sandwich, a California roll, a vegetable roll, vegetable burritos and tamales, a broccoli tofu platter, vegetable chow fun, and more.
    3. Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros)
      Carlos Lee might be coming up empty at the plate, but fans are loading their plates with veggie burritos, quinoa tabbouleh, and sun-dried tomato rigatoni, all new for the 2010 season. Minute Maid Park also serves up hearty veggie dogs, Thai noodle salad, hummus and vegetable wraps, vegetarian sushi, fruit smoothies, rice and beans, and organic baby-vegetable ratatouille.
    4. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)
      Jeremy Bonderman is healthy once again, and Tigers fans can be, too, by putting down the fatty hot dogs and choosing one of Comerica Park's delicious, nutritious vegetarian options, including black-bean burgers, vegetable fried rice, and a hummus plate as well as veteran favorites such as veggie burgers, veggie dogs, and vegetarian taco salads, stir-fries, and sushi.
    5. Coors Field (Colorado Rockies)
      It used to be that finding satisfying vegetarian food at ballparks was harder than spelling "Tulowitzki," but nowadays smart folks—like the concessions staff at Coors Field—are responding in a big way to the booming demand for humane, healthy meat-free ballpark fare. Rockies fans can chow down on veggie burgers, dogs, wraps, burritos, kabobs, and paninis as well as fresh salads and fruit, roasted portobello sandwiches, and made-to-order potato skins.
    6. Turner Field (Atlanta Braves)
      With the arrival of Jason Heyward, the Braves' future is looking bright, and fans can make sure that they're around to enjoy it by going vegetarian and slashing their risk of heart attack, cancer, and diabetes. Turner Field now has everything from veggie dogs and meatless tacos and burritos to baked beans, Asian noodles, and organic zucchini dip.
    7. PETCO Park (San Diego Padres)
      PETA is not a fan of PETCO—the massive corporate giant that buys animals from abusive factory farms that PETA has exposed over and over again—but we're cheering for all the animal-free options at the Padres' stadium. With veggie burgers and veggie dogs, vegetarian sushi rolls, roasted corn, vegetarian burritos, and hummus and vegetables, there's plenty of good eats for animal-friendly fans to enjoy.
    8. Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
      No matter what the team is called, fans can agree that Angel Stadium is heavenly for vegetarians. The stadium has an all-star lineup of vegetarian options, including veggie Chicago dogs, edamame, Gardenburgers, California cucumber rolls, veggie paninis, bean burritos, roasted vegetable sandwiches, and more.
    9. Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers)
      Vegetarian slugger and reigning Home Run Derby champ Prince Fielder is proof that players don't need to eat meat to go yard, and fans of the Brew Crew don't need to go far to find great-tasting meatless meals. The stadium sells veggie dogs, veggie wraps, baked potatoes, made-to-order pasta, build-your-own burritos, portobello mushroom focaccia sandwiches, and other vegetarian foods.
    10. (tie) Target Field (Minnesota Twins)
      With vegan pitcher Pat Neshek back soon, Kirby the Kestrel on the foul pole, and veggie dogs, veggie burgers, veggie burritos and tacos, fruit kabobs, and other vegetarian items in the concession stands, the new Target Field is a pretty animal-friendly place.
    11. (tie) Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians)
      The Indians haven't gained much ground this season, but Progressive Field has shown that it's pretty, well … progressive. The stadium has expanded its roster to include veggie dogs, veggie subs, wild grain and tofu curry, and veggie pasta in addition to veggie wraps, fruit cups, and roasted vegetables.

     

  • PETA's Veg-Friendly Ballpark Ranking Predicts World Series

    Written by PETA

    My friends, this is breaking news. There looks to be a serious correlation between the Phillies' year-end season ranking and the ranking of Citizens Bank Park (home field of the Phillies) on PETA's annual list of the Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks.

     

    Chart

     

    If you'll take a gander at the nifty graph above, you'll see that 2005 was the first year in which Citizens Bank Park cracked PETA's Top 10, landing firmly in fifth place. The Phillies also improved their record that year. In 2006, despite adding veggie dogs to their munchies lineup—which already included flame-grilled Gardenburgers—Citizens Bank Park slipped a bit in our ratings, landing in seventh position. Subsequently, the Phillies record slipped three games. Coincidence? I think not.

    In 2007, Kevin Tedesco, the head of Citizens Bank Park, took it up a notch and added a groundbreaking, delicious faux-steak sandwich piled high with grilled onions, mushrooms, peppers, and hot sauce. And Citizens Bank Park finally won the coveted title of the most vegetarian-friendly ballpark—and the players did pretty well for themselves, too, finishing with their best record in years and earning a spot in the playoffs.

    During that offseason, Tedesco signed some huge free agents, including mock-chicken sandwiches and "crab-free crab cakes." (Of course, we don't want to forget the role-players, including hoagies with roasted veggies, soups, salads, "The Poppy" sandwiches—featuring roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes—and PB&J for the kids.) The results? Citizens Bank Park took home a resounding victory in Veg Ballparks, and, well—you heard it hear first, folks—the Phillies won the World Series.

    What will Tedesco do next year for an encore? Perhaps add pizza with soy cheese? A Gardenburger riblet sandwich on a toasted bun? We don't want to put any pressure on our favorite Philadelphian, but if he continues to stack up the protein-packed, cruelty- and cholesterol-free offerings, we're thinking that Cole Hamels and company might sweep every round of the playoffs in 2009. If you want your home team to offer more humane veggie options (and maybe win the World Series!) be sure to shoot them a note with some tasty ideas.

    Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky

REPORT CRUELTY

If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2. 

PETA Tweets

Follow PETA on Twitter!

Chicken Photo: © Rommel Manuel