I think I speak for every big Washington Nationals fan when I say that I'm tired of seeing Nationals Park invaded by visiting fans, especially those really annoying ones from Philadelphia. That said, this wasn't the solution I had in mind.
Starting Friday morning at 8 a.m., the club will begin selling single-game tickets for just a single weekend series: May 4-6, against the Phillies. These tickets will remain on sale for a full month before the rest of single-game tickets go on sale. And they'll be available only to buyers with a credit card tied to an address in Maryland, the District or Virginia.
It's all part of the Nationals' "Take Back The Park" sales campaign, with the goal being to have more Nationals fans in the stands. Team COO Andy Feffer backed up said goal with serious strong quotes, as well as not-so-serious strong quotes like this one.
"We've got some other things planned for the Phillies," Feffer also said. "Don't expect their buses to be hanging out and dropping off their fans right around the ballpark here. I'm gonna stick ‘em across the river if I can, make ‘em swim across."
I'll give the Nationals this: it's really a noble effort. But as much as I want to embrace this measure, I keep coming back to this point:
Pretty sure the Nats "take back the park" by contending, not by attempting to limit sales to people in Philly. This is embarrassing.
— Chris Mottram (@ChrisMottram) February 3, 2012
If there's one enduring reality of D.C. sports, it's this: if you win, people will come. So start winning, Nationals. Then, you won't need to resort to gimmicks.