So the Washington Nationals owners are ready to clean house upon arrival. Thank goodness. RFK Stadium is one notch short of growing mushrooms.
The attitude of “who cares if it’s an old stadium, we’re just glad baseball is back” is steadily giving way to reality. RFK may be 44 years old, but there’s no excuse for concourse floors being grimy and slick. The excuses of absentee owners and a new stadium coming should no longer be tolerated for a dirty facility with food service from the 1960s.
Incoming Nats president Stan Kasten is proving why he’s so respected nationally. In response to the slipping attendance — which is still 18th overall and on pace for 2.2 million fans — Kasten is cutting ticket prices to dirt cheap and adding 100 food stands.
The man gets it — fill the house and feed them, too. Don’t wring every dollar from the fans pockets like Redskins owner Dan Snyder. This is about building a franchise in a town whose baseball followers are mostly old enough to remember the real RFK. Kasten wants to draw younger fans who don’t have a lot of money but still expect food from this century.
Potato knishes and cheesesteaks? Hope those find their way to the press box. Indeed, food on the upper levels of the stadium? Wow, the man is a radical. What’s next, “value meals?” Oh wait, he’s doing that, too. You can get a hot dog, chips and soda for $7.50? Hey Danny boy, how about following that idea instead of just a dog from the 19th century for nearly as much.
OK, so I like food. Sue me. Nothing makes another losing game go down better than a good hot dog and a cold beer. If you’re thinking “amen” we’re on the same page.
Theme-based food courts? You mean other than the current “heart attack buffets” and “diabetes disasters” they’re offering? No one is asking for a salad bar, but at least go one notch above carnival food.
The Nats new owners will treat fans like something more than human ATMs. There will be bands instead of those kids beating buckets near the parking lots for tips. The fan zone offers batting practice against a real Nats pitcher. Just kidding — they’re getting knocked around enough inside the stadium.
The Chicago Cubs are coming next week. Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants follow before the Nats have their fire sale and the Redskins open training camp. The next few weeks can be exciting for the Nats despite the muggy midsummer weather that intensifies under RFK’s curved roof.
Kasten is already showing he’ll be the best sports operator in town. That’s not saying a whole lot — kinda like being the smartest politician on the D.C. City Council — but anybody dropping bleacher prices to $5 is one smart cookie.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
