Washington and Baltimore Just Aren’t That Into Baseball
There’s no need to wonder why Baltimore and Washington D.C. can’t field baseball teams worth watching. The answer is in the cities themselves.
This region just isn’t that into baseball.
Does it have decent baseball history? Of course. Hall of Fame players and managers have made stops through the region. But is that history enough for a Mid-Atlantic that boasts oppresively humid summers and successful football franchises?
Absolutely not.
Ravens and crabcakes are what Maryland does. Politics and Redskins are what D.C. does. You have pockets of baseball enthusiasts here and there throughout the area, that will venture to games for the sake of it being the national past time.
Think about New York or Chicago. No matter good or bad the teams are, those cities breathe and eat baseball. We tend to socially smoke and nibble at baseball here in the Metro area.
Besides each other, which teams do O’s and Nats fans really get up for? Last summer, the O’s primary rival was Aubrey Huff and his comments about the city. This summer, the Nats are butting heads with the city over rent issues.
And we honestly think we are baseball towns? Really?
Orioles fans have had it so bad, they’ve organized protests in the stands. Washingtonians had not seen a professional baseball team in 33 years prior to the 2005 season, so why would they have an allegiance to a team that has sucked for the last three seasons?
Because of a news stadium? Because of racing presidents?
Summers in Baltimore and Washington are best spent keeping up with the NFL Draft and training camp. On a whim, you might think about baseball. That’s not the team’s fault, it’s not the fans fault.
It’s just what Baltimore and Washington does.
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JC, we go away for a few months, and you lose your mind? Baltimore LOVED the O’s, even after the Ravens came to town; the team led the league in attendance in 1996-1998, NFL’s honeymoon back in Charm City, and stayed in the top five in attendance until 2006 (despite several years where the Orioles lost nearly 100 games).
There’s not much to talk about now, because there’s not much to look at, but if the O’s put something together and sustain it for a few years, baseball will be back on the agenda.
DC, though–forget about it. How many times does a city need to lose a baseball team to prove that they don’t need one?
o’s fans are just tired of the mismanagement that has ruined this once great team.