21 replies to this topic

[canderson]

Are you a Pennsylvania resident wanting to head to Natstown to catch the May 4-6 Phillies series?

Tough shit.

The genius of Natstown has opened singe-game sales for that Phillies series a month before any other series. The catch: if your credit card's billing address is a PA address, you can't buy tickets.

“Frankly, I was tired of seeing it,” Nats COO Andy Feffer told me this week. “Forget you, Philly. This is our park, this is our town, these are our fans, and it’s our time right now.” Which is why, 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.

“We’ve heard it enough, we’ve seen it enough, and I don’t like it any more than anyone else,” Feffer said. “We’re trying to build a team here, and nothing irks me personally or the people here more than to see another team’s fans — particularly Philly fans — in our ballpark, holding up signs. That’s not the way it should be. And I think we’ve got an opportunity here to do something different.”

http://www.washingto...yehmQ_blog.html

So, they are blocking residents of the state where their AA team resides - which is almost equal-distant to both cities. There are quite a few Nationals fans (DC fans in general thanks to the Redskins long having their camp in Carlisle) in south-central PA.

[Toe Nash]

Not to mention plenty will just buy them on the secondary market because the Nats STH don't really care.

Actually, since I live in MD, I may buy some just to re-sell to Philly fans.

[canderson]

Apparently NJ residents are also blocked. How the hell can this be legal?

[GBrushTWood]

How the hell can this be legal?

How can it not? These geniuses are telling their customers "As much as we'd like to take your money and put it in our pockets, it's no good here. We'd prefer not to make money than take yours."

Darwinism has a funny way of filtering out buffoons. In this case, the filtering will happen when they look at their revenue reports after the Philadelphia series.

[Toe Nash]

How can it not? These geniuses are telling their customers "As much as we'd like to take your money and put it in our pockets, it's no good here. We'd prefer not to make money than take yours."

Darwinism has a funny way of filtering out buffoons. In this case, the filtering will happen when they look at their revenue reports after the Philadelphia series.

Well, this is just a pre-sale. I bet there will still be plenty of good seats available when they open it up to everyone.

Again. like in Fenway, if they really cared they would prevent STH from re-selling their seats. But then they would lose a lot of STH.

[Lose Remerswaal]

But for the August and October series the Nats will accept Philly fans money?

[canderson]

But for the August and October series the Nats will accept Philly fans money?

Yeah, which is weird because then they'll have Harper up you'd assume and be a better team, drawing more naturally "local" fans and have the benefit of the summer schedule (for the August series).

I'd assume the O's try this against NY and Massachusetts next year, then pray they promptly go under.

I was hoping to go to this May series, as I much prefer watching baseball without fear of my wife being verbally abused by degenerates.

[TheYaz67]

The Nats have had significant problems with the fans from Philly in the past couple years (shocking, I know) and were harshly criticized for actively marketing games to Philly fans a couple years ago.

I myself witnessed the plague of Philly fans at the now infamous 2010 opening day game, when dozens of busloads (full of kegs) of Philly fans came down I was treated the the following:

- Witnessed at least 5 fights before/during the game, in the stadium. Most of these fights incredibly were drunk Phillies fans fighting other Phillies fans.

- One of the most profane and racist outbursts I have ever seen as a drunk white Philly fan screamed racial insults at a black seat attendant (and was thankfully soon thereafter removed by police)

- A Phillies fan vomiting mid-stride in the as he tried to rush from his seat back up to the concourse.

Friends shared similar horror stories from that game, that was just what I myself witnessed, as well as tons of swearing and trash talk (about a team that was not much of a "threat" to the mighty Phillies). Might be understandable that now that the Nats have a much improved their team and think they will get more locals out to the game, that they may want to restrict access to Phillies fans - all that drunken behavior is not helpful when you are trying to market to families. I know many Nats fans have said they simply no longer attend home games when the Phillies are playing, simply because of that 2010 opening day fiasco....

So, a vote in support from me - fuck Philly!

[InsideTheParker]

Thank you, Yaz67, that's just the kind of first-hand experience I come to Sosh for. Baseball front offices occasionally have a legitimate reason for what they do: imagine that!

[Toe Nash]

Thank you, Yaz67, that's just the kind of first-hand experience I come to Sosh for. Baseball front offices occasionally have a legitimate reason for what they do: imagine that!

But it's not going to work. Philly fans are just going to wait and buy tickets when they all go on sale, or buy them on the secondary market. There may be slightly fewer than previously, but as mentioned they will just swarm to the games later in the year.

The way to get hometown fans to come out is to field a good team. Presumably with they money they have gotten from hosting Philly they have been able to sign FAs like Werth and Jackson and invest in the draft. If they are worried about away fans acting like assholes, hire more security. Or build a team good enough with enough fan interest so that Nats fans come out. You can't just say "Philly people can't buy tickets" and expect them to be gone unless there are Nats fans that are going to fill the seats.

[loshjott]

The Nats have had significant problems with the fans from Philly in the past couple years (shocking, I know) and were harshly criticized for actively marketing games to Philly fans a couple years ago.

I myself witnessed the plague of Philly fans at the now infamous 2010 opening day game, when dozens of busloads (full of kegs) of Philly fans came down I was treated the the following:

- Witnessed at least 5 fights before/during the game, in the stadium. Most of these fights incredibly were drunk Phillies fans fighting other Phillies fans.

- One of the most profane and racist outbursts I have ever seen as a drunk white Philly fan screamed racial insults at a black seat attendant (and was thankfully soon thereafter removed by police)

- A Phillies fan vomiting mid-stride in the as he tried to rush from his seat back up to the concourse.

Friends shared similar horror stories from that game, that was just what I myself witnessed, as well as tons of swearing and trash talk (about a team that was not much of a "threat" to the mighty Phillies). Might be understandable that now that the Nats have a much improved their team and think they will get more locals out to the game, that they may want to restrict access to Phillies fans - all that drunken behavior is not helpful when you are trying to market to families. I know many Nats fans have said they simply no longer attend home games when the Phillies are playing, simply because of that 2010 opening day fiasco....

So, a vote in support from me - fuck Philly!

I was at this game also. I was the lone adult with four boys (birthday party) sitting right in front of a horrible group of douche bags. As far as I'm concerned, Phillies fans should be shot on sight and denied entry to any sports arena outside Philadelphia.

And canderson, teams do this often. Remember when the Chargers wouldn't allow people with New England addresses to buy tickets to a Pats-Chargers game a few years ago?

However, it's also a bit more complex. Nats are hard up to get butts in seats, and their group ticket sales agents still market Phillies games to PA-area brokers and bus charter companies, etc. It is a raging debate on wnff.net. This "take back the park" promotion is kind of silly when it's only one series and they are still selling group sales to PA brokers.

[canderson]

Thank you, Yaz67, that's just the kind of first-hand experience I come to Sosh for. Baseball front offices occasionally have a legitimate reason for what they do: imagine that!

But they a) are still selling tickets to other Philly series and b) shouldn't ban an entire state (again where their AA team resides) because .01 percent of the crowd are drunk assholes.

That happens at Philly games in Philly, should they ban PA residents? I was at a Giants-Nats game in 2010 and had some pretty rough verbal assaults by Nats fans (my buddy is a big Giants fan), this can cut both ways - there are always a handful no matter where you are.

If anything the Nationals should beef up their security if they feel it isn't a safe environment, not ban residents from an entire state. Plus as previously mentioned they'll gladly turn tickets over to StubHub and cover their eyes while accepting more money.

Note: I hate Philadelphia too, arguing on their behalf is painful.

[Awesome Fossum]

Yaz and Toe Nash are both right. The Nationals dug themselves into a deep hole by openly courting Philadelphia fans and really alienated a lot of Washingtonians in the process. This is a step toward righting those wrongs, but it's really more symbolic than anything. Between D.C.-based Philly fans, the secondary market, and the fact the game won't sell out in the pre-sale anyway, it won't make a huge difference. But the team can at least act like it's putting Nats fans first.

Edit: Didn't the Capitals do something similar during the Caps-Pens playoff series?

Edited by Awesome Fossum, 03 February 2012 - 12:19 PM.

[loshjott]

http://shop.phillyta...s-nats-2012.htm

[TheYaz67]

But they a) are still selling tickets to other Philly series and b) shouldn't ban an entire state (again where their AA team resides) because .01 percent of the crowd are drunk assholes.

Oh how I wish it had been ".01 percent". Try more like 33% (or more) - you had to be there to believe it - at least 25 busloads of wasted fans who apparently drank before the buses left, then the whole ride down, so 3 or 4 hours of pounding beers before the game even started.

I've been to about 40 games in that ballpark so far I would guestimate, and witnessed 5 fights TOTAL - yes, all at that one game....

[Toe Nash]

Oh how I wish it had been ".01 percent". Try more like 33% (or more) - you had to be there to believe it - at least 25 busloads of wasted fans who apparently drank before the buses left, then the whole ride down, so 3 or 4 hours of pounding beers before the game even started.

I've been to about 40 games in that ballpark so far I would guestimate, and witnessed 5 fights TOTAL - yes, all at that one game....

That sucks, but again, it seems the answer is to eject fans who are intoxicated and / or rowdy. Well-behaved Philly fans shouldn't have to suffer. If they end up ejecting 33% of the fans (a dubious number, though so is .01%) then so be it. They have written rules of conduct and anyone who violates them should be chucked.

[DLew On Roids]

I think Awesome Fossum nailed it. This is about the Nats making nice with their fanbase, and it won't cost them any revenue in the long run.

This has been done numerous times before for playoff series in other sports. Google is your friend.

[Orel Miraculous]

This is a marketing ploy pure and simple. Anyone who thinks that Lerners literally don't know how to make a profit is a fool.

[ForceAtHome]

Yaz and Toe Nash are both right. The Nationals dug themselves into a deep hole by openly courting Philadelphia fans and really alienated a lot of Washingtonians in the process. This is a step toward righting those wrongs, but it's really more symbolic than anything. Between D.C.-based Philly fans, the secondary market, and the fact the game won't sell out in the pre-sale anyway, it won't make a huge difference. But the team can at least act like it's putting Nats fans first.

Edit: Didn't the Capitals do something similar during the Caps-Pens playoff series?

I can confirm that the Caps have limited ticket sales to Pennsylvania/Pittsburgh area fans against the Penguins in the playoffs as this what immediately came to mind when I heard this.

[tonyarmasjr]

But they a) are still selling tickets to other Philly series and b) shouldn't ban an entire state (again where their AA team resides) because .01 percent of the crowd are drunk assholes.

That happens at Philly games in Philly, should they ban PA residents? I was at a Giants-Nats game in 2010 and had some pretty rough verbal assaults by Nats fans (my buddy is a big Giants fan), this can cut both ways - there are always a handful no matter where you are.

If anything the Nationals should beef up their security if they feel it isn't a safe environment, not ban residents from an entire state. Plus as previously mentioned they'll gladly turn tickets over to StubHub and cover their eyes while accepting more money.

Note: I hate Philadelphia too, arguing on their behalf is painful.

Yes

[Orange Julia]

I'm not sure how this is all that different from charging "premium" ticket prices for the games that are popular. If the Natinals want to court their hometown base they need to have more daytime games. People in DC want to duck out of work and go see a game during the day occasionally.

[maufman]

If bus groups were responsible for the bulk of past problems, perhaps the pre-sale restrictions will cut down on the number of buses. Philly fans who don't want to bring their 40 closest friends with them can buy tickets later -- it's the Nats, for heaven's sake.

(null)