The Bronx's Yankee Stadium was designed to be the grandest, most impressive and intimidating sports arena ever. Over the years, the stadium's mystique and grandeur have been exponentially enhanced by championship boxing matches, professional and college football, Negro League games, papal visits, and the New York Yankees baseball club's iconic reputation as the gold standard of professional team sports. Yankee Stadium has also been a witness to the 20th-century development of the Bronx from a small suburb to a large urban borough, thus forging a special and complex relationship with its hometown.

Dr. Gary Hermalyn is the executive director of the Bronx County Historical Society and author of numerous books and publications on New York City and the Bronx. Anthony C. Greene, the education director of the Bronx County Historical Society, is an author and educator.