‘Ladies Night’ At The Baseball Game Offers Everything But Baseball

[Go Skins]

http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2015/05/28/3662958/dance-contests-feather-boas-wine-sexism-ladies-night/

 

In a new effort to attract female fans, this year’s expanded “Ladies Night” at Nationals Park boasts a range of entertainment and giveaways that involve just about everything they could think of to lure women to the game — except, you know, actually watching baseball.

 

Attendees of the June 18 game against the Tampa Bay Rays will be treated to “a dance contest, live music, player appearances, some delicious food samples, special Nationals ladies’ fashions,” and with the purchase of a special ticket, “two complimentary glasses of wine and a special Washington Nationals acrylic wine glass with neck lanyard.”

 

“There’s no crying in baseball,” the team’s promotional site helpfully reminds us, “but there’s plenty of wine.”

 

Even a quick read of the event description begs several questions: Who wrote this? What exactly are special Nationals ladies’ fashions? And seriously, who goes to a baseball game for the wine?

 

Foremost, however, is the serious question of whether reverting to sexist, offensive stereotypes was really the best they could do to appeal to female fans.

 

The Nationals are currently one of the hottest teams in baseball, winning eight of their last 10 games and sitting atop the National League East. Bryce Harper can’t stop hitting home runs. The starting pitching is so deep that even when Doug Fister heads to the disabled list, Tanner Roark is ready to ably take his spot. And with the Rays currently near the top of their division as well there’s plenty of actual baseball to entice men and women both to fill the stands.