Dear Urban Diplomat: I’m staunchly against the wave at Toronto Blue Jays games
Dear Urban Diplomat: I’m staunchly against the wave at Toronto Blue Jays games
Dear Urban Diplomat,
I hate it when people do the wave at Jays games. I’m a long-time ticket holder, and this year, a group of yuppie boneheads bought season’s tickets for the seats in front of me. They have a tendency to start the wave at the worst times. Last week, it’s the bottom of the ninth, Brett Lawrie is at the plate, and suddenly everyone’s standing, and I miss the pitch. I barked at the guys, who made fun of me for being a stick in the mud. I don’t want to deal with this all season. What should I do?
—Against the Tide, Hogg’s Hollow
Yes, the wave is game obstructing and hokey, and even unofficially verboten at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. But for a lot of people, going out to the ballpark is as much about banal rituals—where else can men in suits chest-bump, wag giant foam fingers and boogie down to “Y.M.C.A.”?—as it is about the game. If you can’t beat the wave crowd (and you can’t, given that it’s 20,000-odd people strong), learn to grin and ignore it—or at least bring a radio with earbuds so you can keep up with the game no matter what’s going on around you.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at [email protected]
Mark Cuban has the right idea. If an employee is caught doing the wave, they’re fired. It’s the worst.
http://www.stopthewave.net/2012/03/12/mark-cuban-joins/
Surely someone living in Hoggs Hollow can afford seats where none of the riffraff are in front of them.
If you don’t like ballpark traditions, don’t go.
Why must we harp at people having fun? Aren’t we serious enough at our jobs? Must we carry on the order of the cubicle when we see a Jays game?
Or, if you’re not of the cubicle variety, maybe you should spot the currency for a box. Then the wave wouldn’t bother you.
Stop going to the game.
To ATT:
Buy them popcorn or something as a peace offering and just let them know that while they do have the right to cheer at any point of the game you want to view the top of the order that is raking right now.
Surely they will understand that you don’t want to miss a chance to see Lawrie, Rasmus, Bautista or Encarnacion go yard on their A.L. competition.
Seriously, as a fellow Jays fan I feel for your dilemma but as some of the previous scribes have commented, you don’t have much of a case. Many of us can only wish we could afford the time and money it takes to view the Jays more often, especially during this fun season.
Yes, you are entitled to cheer as much as they do, stand up and clap as they do and complain about how others enjoy the game. That is your prerogative. However, they are only trying to be a part of the fun, create their own memories and they will probably bring others to the baseball park.
While these observations may not make you feel better about your situation, we all encourage you to find the time to enjoy the games as they are meant to be enjoyed – with other fans, in a loud atmosphere, during wins and losses.
Season ticket holders are an important part of the Jays’ success. Have fun and we wish you all the best!
Joe P.