Bleacher Creatures

Bleachers section 39 at the old Yankee Stadium.

The Bleacher Creatures are a group of fans of the New York Yankees who are known for their strict allegiance to the team and their fierce attitude towards opposing fans and teams.[1] The group's nickname was coined for the first time by New York Daily News columnist Filip "Flip" Bondy during the 1990s, and then he spent the 2004 season sitting with the Creatures for research on his book about the group, Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium, which was published in 2005.[2]

A prominent aspect of the Bleacher Creatures is their use of chants and songs.[3] The most distinguished of these is the "roll call", which is done at the beginning of every home game.[4] Often, the opposing team's right fielder, who stands right in front of the Creatures, is a victim of their jeers and insults.[5] For the last two decades of the original Yankee Stadium, the Creatures occupied sections 37 and 39 of the right field bleachers.[6] In 2009, when the Yankees' new stadium was built, they were relocated and currently sit in section 203 of the right-field bleachers.[7] Over the years, the Creatures have attracted controversy regarding their use of inappropriate chants along with their rowdiness.

  1. ^ Jee, Michael (October 20, 2010). "New York Yankees: Bleacher Creatures Force Play on Empire State of Mind". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022. This group of die-hard fans, who now occupy section 203, are notorious for both their vociferous, unconventional cheering for the home boys and merciless jeering of the opposing team and fans.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference BondyBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Bondy, Filip (October 28, 2015). "Move Over, Bleacher Creatures: It's the 7 Line Army's Turn". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Hoch, Bryan (January 31, 2021). "'Roll call' is a Yankee Stadium exclusive". MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  5. ^ Keh, Andrew (June 18, 2011). "A Gentler Atmosphere at Yankee Stadium". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Bondy, Filip (September 22, 2008). "Bleacher Creatures won't curtail actions for ESPN". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  7. ^ Bondy, Filip (September 25, 2011). "For Yankee Stadium Bleacher Creatures, things just aren't the same in section 203 of right field". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2024.