If the Rockies stink don’t blame me.
“Our role is to enjoy the games, for better or for worse – or, at the very least, enjoy being at the games. Does that make us bad baseball fans or does it make us consumers?”
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Don’t blame me if the Rockies are terrible, just because I like to load the family up into the minivan and haul them off to Coors Field on a sunny summer afternoon in Denver, Colorado.
Don’t blame me if I drop six bucks each on Dippin’ Dots, eight bucks each on beers and ten bucks on chicken nachos after having paid twenty bucks to park.
I’m not the reason the Rockies stink.
The Denver sports media seems to think it is, though. Their a stance is that, so long as there are butts in seats at Coors Field, that the organization can’t be expected to improve anything … that, so long as fans spend their money that they have no right to demand more from the franchise.
I call BS.
Passing the buck to the public is asinine. Our role is to enjoy the games, for better or for worse – or, at the very least, enjoy being at the games. Does that make us bad baseball fans or does it make us consumers?
The Colorado Rockies do one thing very well. They provide a sterling environment for watching baseball. Coors Field is noted to be one of the most well run, cleanest, well-maintained facilities in professional sports. The concessions are fantastic, there’s something for everybody to snack on. There’s a restroom not too far from any seat and the staff is generally courteous.
The product on the diamond might not be what we want it to be, but the way Coors Field is operated is a thing to be appreciated and admired. It’s a fun place to go, regardless of what the likelihood is that the Rockies will win on a given afternoon. Isn’t fun what the fan experience is all about?
Would I rather pull for a team with a shot at playing in the post-season? You bet I would. But I won’t boycott the Rockies – and you, Mr. Media, shouldn’t ask me to. Nor should you hold me responsible for the half-witted way in which the Colorado Rockies assemble a team every year. If the Monforts need me to motivate them by withholding my dollars than we have the wrong ownership in place to begin with – and there’s nothing whatsoever I can do to change that.
And don’t tell me about what terrible baseball fans we have on Colorado.
Maybe that’s the impression you get from high up in the press box, but in the stands I see great baseball fans – with their pin collections and their scorecards – they’re fans who deserve respect – both from the Rockies and from you. They’re just out there to have a good time and to enjoy the game of baseball.
It’s a rite of passage. We have real seasons here in Colorado and summer is one to enjoy. It’s beautiful. Besides, the concept of “there’s always next year” is still alive and well. Call it denial if you prefer to, but hope springing eternal is part of being a baseball fan.
I get it. I vote with my dollars and by showing up I am voting for mediocrity. I’ve heard this sentiment on my radio and read it in the newspaper year after year. But wouldn’t boycotting the games just be cutting off my nose to spite my face?
You’re the one with a pulpit, Mr. Media. Maybe if the Rockies are terrible again this year it’s your fault. But it’s not mine. Enough blaming Rockies fans for the teams failures. It’s getting old faster than the Rockies’ lineup.
