Whenever a professional athlete does something for the good of his career that's likely to be seen in a less-than-favorable light by his team's fans, he's quick to point out that ultimately, sports is a business and he's just doing what's best for him and his family. And you know what? Fair enough.
When Ian Desmond turned down the Nationals' offer of a shitload of money for a new contract last season because it wasn't a SHITLOAD!!! of money, he said that he had an obligation to honor the sacrifices that the players who came before him in MLB had made, as well as look out for the financial well-being of those who will come after him. Fair enough.
When Matt Harvey expressed doubts about pitching over 180 innings this season, despite his team being in a pennant race and an energized fan base that's already putting down deposits on playoff tickets, he explained that he needed to think about his future earnings, which could be endangered if he ignored his doctors' advice, blew out his elbow and required a second Tommy John surgery. Fair enough.
And throughout the years, in every sport, in every city in America, athletes have routinely made decisions that are based on money, not intangible things like loyalty, team pride, winning, and so on, that we, as fans, like to believe are more important.
Again: Fair enough.
Now, are these rationalizations somewhat self-serving? Kind of. MLB free agency wouldn't have crumbled if Desmond had decided to give the Nationals a hometown discount and play out his career in D.C. Harvey's arm probably isn't going to fall off the moment he pitches his 181st inning (or for that matter, his 200th). But that's their business. It's their money. It's their health. Do whatever you want, guys. Godspeed.
Now that we've established that sports is a business, I do wonder, though: Shouldn't that work both ways?
Yesterday, the Nationals hosted the Mets in what was inarguably the most important game the Nats have played all season. As of Monday morning, the Nats were four games behind the Mets in the NL East. With a sweep, they would have been just one game back. Even taking two out of three would leave them in good shape, and yesterday's game was widely seen as the easiest for them to win.
If you've bothered to read this far, you probably know how the game went: The Nats were behind quickly. Then they pulled ahead. Then the game was tied. Then the Nats fell behind. Then the Nats really fell behind. Game over. Nats lose.
And aside from the usual next-day D.C. sports talk radio panic, that would have been that, except that Bryce Harper was asked about the fan atmosphere in the stadium after the game, and responded, "I mean, they left in the seventh, so that's pretty brutal. I don't know. Whatever."
Brutal indeed. I'm sure it wasn't fun for the players to be in the dugout and see fans streaming for the exits. It probably made them feel discouraged and maybe thinking that playing for the Yankees might not be a such a bad idea after all. And I like these players, so I'm genuinely sorry that happened.
Except...if sports is a business, weren't fans just being rational actors?
People came to Nats Park to see their favorite team beat a division rival and boost their chances of getting into the playoffs. Once it became apparent that likely wasn't going to happen, why not leave early to beat the crowds to the Metro, or grab a beer, or find a good Labor Day picnic, or whatever tickled their fancy more than watching the Nats implode?
I'm not saying it's what I would have done. I'm not saying it was the "right" thing for people to do. But one of the first lessons in economics we learn when we're kids is the concept of opportunity cost. If you believe watching your team blow a lead in an excruciating fashion is less fun or fulfilling than something else you could be doing, why not do that other thing? Why sit and be miserable on a hot day out of a sense of duty? Why do athletes get to play the "It's just business" card, but fans can't?
Pro athletes aren't paid lots of money because their ability to throw touchdowns or hit home runs or make fifty foot jump shots have any intrinsic value. They're paid that much because fans are willing to pay their money to see them do those things. When athletes do them poorly, fans stop coming. Fans leave early. And if you want to make fun of D.C. fans' fair-weather nature, well, okay. But compare the crowds at Citizens Bank Park in the supposedly die-hard sports town of Philadelphia when the Phillies were NL East champions every season, versus now. It's not a D.C. sports fan thing. It's a human nature thing. It's just business.
As far as Bryce goes, I'm fine with him calling out fans. I like it. It shows he cares. But I'll also point this out: Last winter at NatsFest, he was supposed to appear, as did every other player on the team. Take photos. Sign autographs. All that good stuff. Except at the time, he and the team were embroiled in a tiff over money. Not even a lot of money. The kind of money that frankly, the Nats were stupid not to just pony up if it would keep their star player happy. But they didn't, which displeased Harper's agent, Scott Boras. And to show his displeasure, he advised Harper to pull a no-show at NatsFest. Which he did.
Who did this hurt? Matt Williams or Mike Rizzo? If they each made a list of their top 10,000 priorities in life, I very much doubt NatsFest would be on it. (Also apparently not making that list: A functioning, well-utilized bullpen.) The Lerners? With or without Harper, NatsFest was a success. Crowds were big. Merchandise was sold. Season ticket plans were bought. I'm sure they weren't displeased.
Nope. The fans were the ones who got screwed. Nationals fans. Bryce Harper fans. Pretty much everyone who paid money to show up. I mean, the fans at the game yesterday may have left early, but at least they came out in the first place. Can Harper say the same in regards to the one day a year specifically set aside for him to show his appreciation to his fans?
(Once the dispute was settled amicably just a few days later, Boras indicated that Harper would do something special for fans to make up for him not showing up at NatsFest. As far as I know, he hasn't. I mean, yeah, there's the MVP-caliber season. But I don't think that's what he meant.)
Anyway, yes, sports is a business. But it's a business for fans, too. Players get paid to be at games. Fans don't. All they have is their time. If they would rather spend that elsewhere than at the stadium watching the former presumptive 2015 World Series champions bumble their way out of the playoffs, that's their right. I'm sure it was indeed brutal for Bryce Harper to see fans leave early. It was also brutal for fans to see Bryce Harper strike out three times.
So....I don't know. Maybe let's just agree that yesterday wasn't either party's finest hour and move on.
