Define Natitude

[e44green]

Love the charade of claiming that the change was due to increased demand, if Nats tickets were actually in high demand there would be no need for this policy change because there wouldn't be many available exchange options.

The real reason is of course money, the team doesn't like the idea of $1-5 tickets sold at a discount in spring being used for games in the summer when demand picks up.

This is spot on. Unfortunate decision by the Nats, and I know everyone here will nag and moan about it from here until eternity but it is the unfortunate reality of fan treatment by winning sports organizations today.

I'm sure 1995hoo can chime in with regards to the complete 180 Ted Leonsis and the Capitals have undergone from the pre-Overchkin days until now. When the Caps were perennially bad, Leonsis treated his STH's like royalty: awesome gate giveaways, tons of raffles for signed memorabilia, discounted tickets, player meet and greets where the players were actually accessible, etc. Now almost all of these perks have disappeared and the fan experience gets worse with each passing year.

When the Redskins were perennial losers under the Snyderatto regime, I got some amazing experiences just from being a STH: pregame field passes, behind the scenes tour of FedEx Field, VIP passes to training camp, etc. After last year's NFC East championship, I am not holding my breath for any of those things to ever happen again.

I have spoken with countless other season ticket holders of various pro sports franchises and the refrain is the same. I guess the lesson is to fondly remember the times during the lean years when the Nats actually cared about building a season ticket holder base. Being the hot team in town, these times have definitely passed until we have some 90-100 loss seasons again. We can complain here as much as we want but the fact of the matter is that there are and will always be tons of frontrunning schmucks in DC that will pay big bucks to see the "hot" team in town. Of course they are also the first people to jump off the bandwagon at the first sign of adversity too. It definitely sucks, but it is simply the reality of pro sports today.

If you aren't already you will soon look back fondly on the fan experiences from the crappy seasons from '05-'11 the same way I look back on pre-Ovechkin Caps games and Skins games during the Vinny era.

[GburgNatsFan]

Well, the lesson I'm going to try to teach the Nationals is "I'm not buying a ST package next year."

The perqs, I understand, they go away. But basic fairness about rescheduling a game, they need to hear from fans about that.

This is spot on. Unfortunate decision by the Nats, and I know everyone here will nag and moan about it from here until eternity but it is the unfortunate reality of fan treatment by winning sports organizations today.

I'm sure 1995hoo can chime in with regards to the complete 180 Ted Leonsis and the Capitals have undergone from the pre-Overchkin days until now. When the Caps were perennially bad, Leonsis treated his STH's like royalty: awesome gate giveaways, tons of raffles for signed memorabilia, discounted tickets, player meet and greets where the players were actually accessible, etc. Now almost all of these perks have disappeared and the fan experience gets worse with each passing year.

When the Redskins were perennial losers under the Snyderatto regime, I got some amazing experiences just from being a STH: pregame field passes, behind the scenes tour of FedEx Field, VIP passes to training camp, etc. After last year's NFC East championship, I am not holding my breath for any of those things to ever happen again.

I have spoken with countless other season ticket holders of various pro sports franchises and the refrain is the same. I guess the lesson is to fondly remember the times during the lean years when the Nats actually cared about building a season ticket holder base. Being the hot team in town, these times have definitely passed until we have some 90-100 loss seasons again. We can complain here as much as we want but the fact of the matter is that there are and will always be tons of frontrunning schmucks in DC that will pay big bucks to see the "hot" team in town. Of course they are also the first people to jump off the bandwagon at the first sign of adversity too. It definitely sucks, but it is simply the reality of pro sports today.

[spidernat]

I cannot believe that ANYONE could possibly defend this.

I can think of one or two that might. 

[PebbleBall]

if Nats tickets were actually in high demand there would be no need for this policy change because there wouldn't be many available exchange options.

Buster Olney has noticed. 

@Buster_ESPN 4h
The Nationals' new rainout policy is a terrible disservice to fans.

@Buster_ESPN 3h
I really hope the Nationals change this rainout policy.  … From a business angle: It'll chase fans away on cloudy days.

‏@Buster_ESPN 3h
But from the simple perspective of respecting customers, the Nationals need to change this:  …

[HalfSmokes]

Well, the lesson I'm going to try to teach the Nationals is "I'm not buying a ST package next year."

The perqs, I understand, they go away. But basic fairness about rescheduling a game, they need to hear from fans about that.

without perks, you can't beat the stub hub prices, at least stubhub gives you a full credit towards another game if there is a postponement

[1995hoo]

....

I'm sure 1995hoo can chime in with regards to the complete 180 Ted Leonsis and the Capitals have undergone from the pre-Overchkin days until now. When the Caps were perennially bad, Leonsis treated his STH's like royalty: awesome gate giveaways, tons of raffles for signed memorabilia, discounted tickets, player meet and greets where the players were actually accessible, etc. Now almost all of these perks have disappeared and the fan experience gets worse with each passing year.

....

I know it's trendy among Caps fans these days to bash ownership, but I haven't really had any negative experiences as an STH. I don't care for the decibel meter they've added this year because it means I can't see out-of-town scores (the scoreboard blocks my view of the one they now use for out-of-town scores), but I suppose in the scheme of things that's minor. My only significant gripe has been the poor implementation of the paperless ticketing. I was, and remain, all for the idea of the ticket card, but I really dislike the "one card per account" system, and I think it's just gotten all the worse since they ramped up the security after the incident in Boston. The problem is that if you're there with someone else and you're both using paperless tickets, you have to regroup and get back together after you get wanded by security. Unless you go in on F Street where there's a big lobby, it simply creates chaos in a confined space. It also doesn't help that the lady who swipes the ticket card has to switch back and forth between swiping cards and scanning barcodes. If you're going to do barcodes for the paper tickets, why not do barcodes on the ticket cards?

Anyway, that's all off-topic. I think GburgNatsFan has it right: Perks may go away, but you communicate that in advance. You don't sell someone a ticket with one set of rules and then suddenly say those rules no longer apply. I didn't have a ticket to last night's game and I'm not a season-ticket holder, so I don't know what the small print on the tickets might say this year.

[hammondsnats]

I can think of one or two that might. 

LAC

[blue911]

Well, the lesson I'm going to try to teach the Nationals is "I'm not buying a ST package next year."

The perqs, I understand, they go away. But basic fairness about rescheduling a game, they need to hear from fans about that.

Season ticket holders aren't stuck with a use-it-or-lose-it proposition.

[GburgNatsFan]

I understand that. It doesn't matter. I'll still stop buying my ST package over this, and I'll never buy any tickets until I know the weather on the day of the game.

Season ticket holders aren't stuck with a use-it-or-lose-it proposition.

[blue911]

I understand that. It doesn't matter. I'll still stop buying my ST package over this, and I'll never buy any tickets until I know the weather on the day of the game.

It's such a stupid policy. The "subject to availability" clause makes it such a win for the club to allow people to exchange for any non-prime game

[rbw5t]

The Kilgore piece on the raincheck policy is actually on the list of the top 5 most popular stories on the front page of the Post online.  Not the sports page, but the Front Page.  Click away on it and keep it there.  The more bad press for the team here, the better!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

[DPMOmaha]

I'll be curious to see if they adapt to the public outcry.  Do they have a history of doing that in the past?

[PowerBoater69]

I'll be curious to see if they adapt to the public outcry.  Do they have a history of doing that in the past?

Only when it doesn't affect their bottom line.

They made the decision, it's not unprecedented around the league, they want the extra money this brings in so they aren't changing it. They know that the complaints will subside and that in the end they won't lose much business because people will continue to buy tickets because the want to watch the Nats even though owner is a greedy old bastard.

[e44green]

Only when it doesn't affect their bottom line.

They made the decision, it's not unprecedented around the league, they want the extra money this brings in so they aren't changing it. They know that the complaints will subside and that in the end they won't lose much business because people will continue to buy tickets because the want to watch the Nats even though owner is a greedy old bastard.

You nailed it again, PB.

And the subsequent posters are right, it is not fair for me to compare decreasing STH perks to changing their rain check policy. I was just trying to make a broader observation about the correlation between increasing success on the field resulting in the team not giving a crap about the STH's that supported them through the lean years.

I have no doubt the Nats will set attendance records this season. I guess this boils down to no matter how much we complain or how many of us decide to cancel season tix because of this, the Nats will not give two craps until the on field results return to mediocrity and they need the support of the fanatics that post here. For every one of us that says "I am never going to another Nats game because of xxxxx!" there are 10+ bandwagon fans that will open their wallets and bend over for the Lerners.

[GburgNatsFan]

I missed about 30 seconds of the 106.7 interview with Rizzo. I think they avoided the rainout question.

[sportsfan882]

They asked that question first. Pretty boring interview except when a caller criticized the Morse trade and Rizzo pwned him and rattled off the stats of the three minor leaguers we got in return that are doing well.

[Lintyfresh85]

Of the three acquired, Cole is likely the only one to ever see a long career in the majors.

[GburgNatsFan]

They didn't ask about the return policy. That's what I meant. That the game was rained out yesterday, oh well. The field at Nats Park is below ground level and adjacent to a river. I has to take longer to drain than, say, Camden Yards.

They asked that question first. Pretty boring interview except when a caller criticized the Morse trade and Rizzo pwned him and rattled off the stats of the three minor leaguers we got in return that are doing well.

[sportsfan882]

Of the three acquired, Cole is likely the only one to ever see a long career in the majors.

Maybe. I like Krol's chances of making it as a LH reliever. He's still young, has decent stuff, and is left-handed.

Morse was a good player here but his defense was subpar and with the Span and LaRoche signings there was nowhere left for him to play. AJ Cole is not a bad return, still young and has the upside of #2 SP. Krol and Treinen are nice as throw-ins.

[PowerBoater69]

Oh crap! Check out what Youppi from the BPG board found:

The ticket will serve as a rain check for that re-scheduled game or may be exchanged for the same priced seat at a future Nationals home game during the 2013 season

That quote is from the Nats site as of 4/25, so if you bought your tickets more than two weeks ago you can write the team and demand your rain check.

Not only cheap bastards, but crooked too, changing the policy after the fact.

web.archive.org/web/20130425223019/http:/washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=guide#R

[PowerBoater69]

So every ticket plan holder, everyone with an exchanged ticket, every one who can show that they made their purchase before the policy changed should demand aversion check, not some lousy RCR points.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Dirty pool.  Dislike.

[Smithian]

They asked that question first. Pretty boring interview except when a caller criticized the Morse trade and Rizzo pwned him and rattled off the stats of the three minor leaguers we got in return that are doing well.

Is there any way to find those interviews online after fact?

[PowerBoater69]

Dirty pool.  Dislike.

Just read on Twitter that the posted policy was changed yesterday.

[rbw5t]

Just read on Twitter that the posted policy was changed yesterday.

WOW -- Great research PB!  This just keeps getting worse and worse!