"Nationals Fight Invasion of Phillies Fans with Ticket-Sale Restrictions"

From Athletic Business


Review by Tarik Hislop in KIN 435 (section 1)

In the article, “Nationals Fight Invasion of Phillies Fans with Ticket-Sales Restrictions,” National’s Chief Operating Officer Andy Feffer told the Post, "Forget you, Philly. This is our park, this is our town, these are our fans, and it's our time right now." His goal is to prevent the Philly Fans from taking over their ballpark. In doing so, Feffer and the Nationals Organization are selling single-game tickets only to people who live in the DMV area. This is one way of controlling the type of fans that attend the baseball game.

Feffer is really annoyed by Phillies fans, which he expresses in this quote. "We've heard it enough, we've seen it enough, and I don't like it any more than anyone else," he 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." Andy Feffer wants to change the culture of the organization, and turn the Nationals Baseball Team into a winning program, which is very evident in his efforts to attract more of “their” fans.

I believe this strategy will work IF they actually convince fans to come out and support. Hopefully, an increase of fan support will give the Nationals something to play for and improve their record so their fan base can continue to increase. These are all things Andy Feffer and The National’s Organization are working towards.

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Review by Ryan Smith in KIN 435 (section 1)

I chose to read the article “Nationals Fight Invasion of Phillies Fans with Ticket Sales Restrictions." This article discusses how the Washington Nationals are fed up with the Phillies fans taking over their ballpark. The Nationals Chief Operating Officer is even quoted saying “forget you Philly. This is our ballpark, this is our town, these are our fans, and it’s our time right now.” It is easy to see how this problem arises because with the Phillies winning success and their devoted fan base, they don’t have a problem with traveling to see their baseball team play. Not to mention that driving from Philly to Washington isn’t all that bad of a drive.

So in a plan to “Take Back to Park” as the Nationals call it, they have strategized for the first series with the Phillies by only selling single-game tickets to Maryland, Washington, and Virginia residents. This ticket restriction will go on for the next month before opening ticketing sales up for everyone else to purchase. The Phillies organization basically laughed at this plan implemented by the Washington Nationals. They go on to mention that they (Phillies) have never experienced their park being taken over by another ball team because as long as you are winning games, you don’t have to worry about such a problem.

In conclusion, I believe that this plan that the Nationals has come up with is terrible. I think that it’s just a lousy excuse as for why they can’t get fans to come out to the games. Looking at the bigger picture this might be a good idea for the Washington Nationals but the real solution for this problem is simple, just win games and your fan base will naturally increase.