An Open Letter to the Cincinnati Reds, Great American Ball Park, and Baseball Fans

Is it really asking that much for fans to be cognizant of their surroundings and minimize movement during active play?

Every year over the past few, my son and I head down to Cincinnati for the Cincinnati Reds versus Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game series. We are Dodgers fans. On Saturday night, we stay within walking distance of the Great American Ball Park so we can walk to/from the Saturday night game and Sunday noon game. By and large, we have a great time no matter who wins. 

There are, however, two issues that turned an otherwise good experience a bit sour.

First, the ice cream vendor, Rosie’s Ice Cream, has a major issue serving customers. The line to get a simple soft-serve ice cream took me an inning-and-a-half on both Friday and Saturday nights (and there were four lines). The issue is the workers. They put no effort in to serving customers quickly. One worker was leaning against the back counter with his smartphone hidden behind his apron texting, with no concern for the time it took customers to get their ice cream. It was the only vendor at the ball park in which lines were enormous and very slow moving. The vendor needs to find new workers and adopt a better process for serving customers.

The more annoying issue was the near constant flow of people up and down the aisle during active play. By my estimate, I missed roughly ten percent of pitches during all three games because someone was walking in the aisle, or worse, standing rudely at their seat oblivious to how they were blocking the view of other patrons. I missed Sunday's first pitch to Dodger Mookie Betts (picture above) and the first pitch to Red Elly De La Cruz (picture below). I know I won’t be getting a fractional refund on the several hundreds of dollars worth of tickets I bought, but missing ten percent of a game is fairly egregious. It is clear neither the Reds nor Great American Ball Park enforce the rule they have prohibiting people from moving around during play. That needs to change. I’ve been to lots of baseball games in lots of ball parks and most enforce the rule not allowing movement during active play. It is a smart rule to ensure fans get their money’s worth and don’t miss a big play.

I implore the Reds and/or Great American Ball Park to enforce this rule ASAP.

I also beg baseball fans generally to get a damn clue. The total lack of awareness of how they are negatively impacting the enjoyment for other fans by their actions is stunning. I wasn’t the only person muttering about the fan obstruction. And, the number of fans who opted to get up from their seats to head to concessions mere seconds AFTER play resumed in-between innings was flabbergasting. Did they not realize the optimum time to move is when the teams switch? What happened in the ten seconds before they decided they needed to move that prevented them from moving as the pitcher was warming up? It is maddening!!!

I realize some of you might find this column petty, but I get to see the Dodgers live three times a year when they visit the Reds. For other families, it might be the only trip they get to make to the Reds game this year. Is it really asking that much for fans to be cognizant of their surroundings and minimize movement during active play? If it is, then the Reds or Great American Ball Park need to make them aware by enforcing the rule. 

ICYMI: Listen to my weekly segment on The Bruce Hooley Show when we talked about state economic rankings, the DeWine-Husted Administration’s push for EVs, Donald Trump’s rally in the Bronx, how Joe Biden’s failure to make the Ohio ballot will help Bernie Moreno, and who should Trump pick for VP.

P.S. Happy Memorial Day to you and your ancestors who gave their “last full measure” to protect and to preserve our great country.