Shea Stadium Remembered

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Shea Stadium and the Mets baseball club emerged from a clash between two powerful figures: New York City official Robert Moses and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley. O'Malley sought full control over a new stadium in Brooklyn, while Moses insisted it be built by the city in Queens. This standoff led to the Dodgers relocating to Los Angeles, where O'Malley secured the concessions he desired. With no National League team in New York, the league awarded a new franchise to the city in 1960, contingent on funding and constructing a new stadium, which the Mets, and later the AFL Jets, would lease. Named after William Shea, who played a key role in restoring National League baseball to New York, the stadium hosted a vibrant array of sporting and entertainment events over its forty-four years. This engaging tribute captures the memorable games, iconic figures like Tom Seaver and Joe "Willie" Namath, and poignant moments, including its role as a staging area for first responders after 9/11. By its demolition in 2008, the Mets had played more games at Shea than the Dodgers had at Ebbets Field, with the stadium hosting seven National League Championship Series, four World Series, three Jets playoff games, and the AFL Championship game in 1968.