The White Sox are taking center stage in the baseball world next summer. They are going to be featured in Major League Baseball’s first ever Field of Dreams game. Their opponent will be the biggest brand in baseball, the New York Yankees. The game is tentatively scheduled for August 12, 2021.
"Is This Heaven? No, It's Iowa."
The @MLB Field of Dreams game between the @whitesox and @Yankees is set for August 12, 2021 on FOX! pic.twitter.com/LdArN14pbj
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 23, 2020
On Monday Major League Baseball announced that the two AL heavy weights will clash in Iowa inside a stadium constructed at the “Field of Dreams” movie set in Dyersville, Iowa. The temporary stadium pays homage to old Comiskey Park with the design of the outfield walls and the location of the bullpens. It seats 8,000 people and fans will have to take a path through a corn field to get to the stadium. However fans attending the game will be contingent upon the pandemic situation come next August.
The White Sox play an intricate part of the movie so it makes sense that they were chosen to play in the game. It is also a great chance for the White Sox to showcase their talent in front of a nationally televised audience, against a premium opponent. This not an opportunity the White Sox have been afforded very often in the past.
The White Sox were initially suppose to play in the game last summer but it was pushed back due to COVID-19. The White Sox opponent was then changed to the St Louis Cardinals, because the 60-game shortened season meant the Yankees were no longer on the White Sox schedule. Eventually Major League Baseball decided to cancel the event all together and push it back to 2021.
The Field of Dreams game is another effort by commissioner Rob Manfred to have an MLB showcase event, much like the NHL has with the Winter Classic. The MLB has made efforts to grow the sport with games in London, Japan, Australia and Mexico. Starting in 2017t they also put on the annual Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and have played a game at Fort Bragg every year since 2017.
However the Field of Dreams game might be the MLB’s coolest venue to date. A prime time game under the lights, between two good teams, played in a cornfield. It does not get much better than that.
