I spent this
Sunday at the AT&T Park with my husband and son. One thing I was struck by is the
deterioration of baseball etiquette. I’m
dismayed by the deterioration of etiquette in general, covering your mouth/nose
when you cough/sneeze, a man holding a door for a woman, a younger person
letting an older going ahead of them in line, eating politely in public. I’m not sure if it is due to the progress
made in mobile devices, cameras, and social network sites that people have
become used to instant gratification that patience and polite society may
become antiques.
However
this rant is due to the absolute rudeness I observed and was a victim of this Sunday’s
game. So for those of you that get it,
and those of you that don’t, here are some ‘good manners’ tips when you go out
to a ball game.
1) Forty thousand (or more) people want to get
into the park, get food and get to their seats.
The age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and (dis)ability is
as diverse as it is going to get. Be
open and respectful to others.
2) Especially be polite and nice to the
oldsters. More than likely they were
baseball fans well before you were born. Mowing anyone down with your garlic fries and
microbrews so you can get to your seat 15 seconds earlier is rude but when done
to our elders is especially rude.
3) When finding your seat, look at your
ticket. If you’re not familiar with the park,
check the signs for the best way to get to your seat. A really good way to find out is to ask the
ushers who btw are actually paid to do so. You could tromp 20 seats / people to get to
your seat on the other side of the row when you could have just walked up a
different flight of stairs, but why?
4) Does it matter if you are sitting in
the seat printed on your ticket? Well,
yes. Basically someone has paid between
$40-$100 for a ticket. The ticket gives
them ‘dibbs’ on the seat. They most
likely want to sit with family or friends they came with. IF you want to swap seats with someone, ask
politely. An example would be, “Would you mind moving
down a couple seats?” If they say no,
lose the attitude. It is their seat.
5) IF you sit in seats that don’t
belong to you, smile sheepishly and move immediately.
6) IF you come in late (past the 2nd
inning), don’t expect those that get their early to be especially pleased you’re
tripping over them during the middle of a play with your beer/dog/nachos. Some people like to actually watch the whole game,
this includes when the guy throws the ball the other guy is going to hit
(called pitching). (See 7).
7) When is it a good time to leave /
return to your seat? Not during a play
or when a batter is in the box. Even
between pitches. Honestly. Acceptable times are:
a. Between innings
b. Pitcher change
c. If you can be quick about it or if
it is an emergency, between batters. (Getting another beer is not an
emergency).
8) Don’t stand in the aisle way when
you leave and thereby block the view of others.
9) I know there is a two beer per
purchase limit. I am not a teetotaler. I’m also not that excited to have beer
spilled all over me because you are tipsy. Really. Know your limit.
10) Maybe you want to put sunscreen on
before you get to the park. Spraying
sunscreen on you and your kids’ bodies that drifts and wafts over other’s food
items (hot dogs, drinks, etc.) is yucky.
11) Bring your kids to the ball
park. Teach them about baseball. Can they understand what is going on? Watch it on TV first so they know. Maybe get them some baseball cards. Play baseball with them. Baseball is a game
of strategy and patience. It is hard for
any kid under 11 to sit and watch. Be
aware. Keep your kids under your
command. If you’re going to drink beer
and eat garlic fries and ignore your kids, give yourself a well-deserved break
and let the kids stay home.
12) View obstruction (this is from
previous games, not Sundays):
a. Big Hats: Everyone loves “The Cat in the Hat”. Leave your big hat at home. Even if you think it is cool/cute, you have
to realize you’re really obstructing the view of the person sitting behind
you. You never know, but they might be
height challenged.
b. Same goes for big hair, babies in
tutus, etc.
c. Tall people can’t help it. But be aware who is behind you and try and
understand they might not want to sit on the edge of their seat all game.
Many of
these rules can be transferrable to concerts, movie theaters, grocery store, etc. Basically the Golden Rule applies. Always.
