To say that Ralph Bracco is a baseball fan would be an understatement. The 63-year-old actor had attended every New York Yankees opening day since before owner George Steinbrenner fired manager Billy Martin—for the first of several times—in 1978. But Covid almost ended that streak. Bracco entered a March 22 lottery to buy opening day tickets, holding online almost half an hour before learning he’d just missed qualifying for a purchase. “This year is completely different,” says Bracco, who was forced to turn to third-party seller Seat Geek. “The Yankees didn’t care that I was a season ticket holder for more than four decades. I was No. 326 on a virtual line.”
Covid restrictions are easing at U.S. baseball stadiums, bringing joy to club owners and scattered cheers to players, but there’s still plenty of angst for many of the most committed fans. With attendance limits changing unpredictably and seats for even the most-valued customers reassigned to reduce crowding, the pandemic has left some season ticket holders feeling like they’ve struck out.
“We’ve been sharing season tickets for about 35 years, and while it’s never simple with our six-way split, it’s never been nearly this convoluted,” says Larry Tye, a Boston-area author. “We’re never sure if we’ll actually get the game we want or where the tickets will be.”
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Buy Now Pay Later What Could Go Wrong?
Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay have turned four easy payments into a whole new credit universe. Economic uncertainty and regulatory scrutiny—and, of course, the usual debt problems—are spoiling the fun
A Very Dangerous Place to Be Pregnant
Texas leads the US in maternity ward closures, and nowhere is this more of an issue than in the western part of the state
AI Artists Are Taking Commissions
Image-generation software Dall-E is moving past its initial novelty phase
The Bank Scandal Rocking China
“Who would’ve thought that bank deposits could go wrong?”
Prepping for a Recession Or Whatever
The sheer uncertainty of this moment makes it a good time to revisit your money plan
Is This Awkward?
Crypto outfits have put $2.4 billion into sports marketing —just as crypto winter sets in
Jerome Powell's Only FOCUS
The Fed chairman is going to do whatever it takes to stamp out inflation, even if means causing a recession
the last LAUGH
Drew Afualo, TikTok’s misogyny watchdog, is using trolls’ tactics against them and giving her 7.5 million followers some laughs
is IVF next?
In vitro fertilization is already a grueling path to pregnancy. With embryos gaining new legal protections, it could become a criminal one
BIDEN’S whiff
The president’s caution after Roe was overturned has frustrated some aides and Democrats, who see their rights—and a political opportunity—slipping away
TAKE FIVE
Joshua Morrow (Nick, Y&R)
Passkeys
The future of passwordless digital security
Warning! AMERICA'S LEAKY BIOLABS ARE A PANDEMIC WAITING TO HAPPEN!
DANGEROUS leaks of deadly toxins and viruses are occurring with shocking regularity in American Biolabs, and critics warn it’s only a matter of time before releases turn catastrophic!
Lisa Fernandez – 'Sports Is One Way to Teach So Much About Life'
Lisa Fernandez, 51, has often been called women's softball's greatest-of-all-time. An overpowering pitcher and a great hitter, in the 1990s she led the UCLA Bruins to two national titles and the U.S. Olympic team to three gold medals, helping to spark the sport's tremendous growth in popularity since then. She is now an assistant coach at UCLA. The following conversation has been edited for space and clarity. -Meredith Wolf Schizer
Immune System Supercharger
Vitamin D appears O to help prevent many illnesses, including COVID
CRYSTAL GAIL WELCOME
After a long battle against a rare brain disease, Crystal Gail Welcome, a 41-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, took up running as a spontaneous celebration of her health and perseverance. Then a friend invited her on a short day hike, where she had a profound encounter with, well, a tree (tale below). She later went on to tackle the Pacific Crest Trail and other cross-country jaunts. Now, Welcome seeks to bring the healing power of hiking to those who need it most.
A MATTER OF DEGREE!
CALL HER DR. TAYLOR SWIFT! THE 22 SINGER IS TAPPED TO ADDRESS THE CLASS OF 2022 AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY.
China's Bet On Homegrown mRNA Vaccines Holds Back Nation
China is trying to navigate its biggest coronavirus outbreak without a tool it could have adopted many months ago, the kind of vaccines that have proven to offer the best protection against the worst outcomes from COVID-19.
BATTER UP!
In a League of His Own
Tom Cruise: MAN ON A MISSION
THE ACTOR STOPPED AT NOTHING TO MAKE M:1 7 AND 8 AND TOP GUN: MAVERICK. NOW HE'S FEELING THE PRESSURE.