“The issue at hand is the issur of following in the ways of the goyim (chukas akum) and darchei emori.”
The emorim are long gone. And the many admonitions in the Torah about not following in “their ways” refer to the abominable religious practices that Baruch HaShem aren’t practiced today. Frankly, these aren’t the best arguments for saying not to go to Yankee Stadium.
But there are indeed reasons not to go to Yankee Stadium! If you go to the Zoo you learn about the animals; Rabbi Slifkin gives Torah tours of zoos all over the world where he discusses the issues involved in identifying animals mentioned in the Torah, the issues in determining the kashrut of an animal or bird, and the homiletic and midrashic statements regarding different animals. Dr. Jon Greenberg, a plant expert who is also a talmid chacham, leads tours of botanical gardens where he addresses similar issues regarding plants — “torah flora”. My shul sponsored a guided tour of the Greek collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to learn more about Chanukah, and a similar tour just a week ago of the Egyptian collection for obvious reasons. Visit the Natural History Museum to learn more about HaShem’s creations and to find yourself more in awe regarding your creator. And of course there are the numerous historical museums — I love the Center for Jewish History on 16th Street.
Or take the family on a hike in the mountains or along a deserted barrier island before the non-tzniut clothing takes over, you will see the natural beauty of HaShem’s creation.
Or take the family to one of the many historical sites in the area, learning more about the past.
All of these are *so* much more productive than sporting events! You don’t need a chukat hagoyim argument to understand that!!!
And of course the people we look up to should be the people who dedicate their lives to saving the lives of others; the people who dedicate their lives to educating others; the people who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of others; and last but definitely not least Torah scholars. It isn’t a Jewish thing to idolize someone for athletic accomplishments.