Anyway, the song that most comes to mind these days when I go to a baseball game is "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" from Gypsy. I don't think I've been to a baseball in the last decade that didn't have some sort of give away or gimmick as part of the day. Most of the give aways are things like bobble heads, Star Wars themed items (every team seems to have a Star Wars day), and team branded Hawaiian shirts. You know, stuff you definitely need around your house. I have an assortment of Washington Nationals items including a team Russian nesting doll, a gnome (but not the Jayson Werth one), and an unfortunate poster of the team as the Rat Pack which I promptly threw away. I get the give aways; baseball tickets are expensive and attendance at games has been stagnant for years. Give aways and gimmicks are ways to get people in the gate. I get it.
I've attended quite a number of theme nights and give away nights and most of the time, they're pretty fun. I went to my first ever Caturday earlier this summer and I went to Yoga at the Outfield a few years ago. Star Wars Day is always a blast; the cosplay is always a treat. Some of the themed days seem pretty targeted at one particular demographic: women who may like baseball, but really like stuff women like, such as yoga, cats, and knitting. It's similar to the days when most of the team gear for women was pink and sparkly because ladies like pink and sparkly things. Women are a demographic and a bunch of white dudes sit in a room and decide what to sell to us. They go for the easiest thing: pink stuff. Theme nights sometimes feel a little like pink jerseys: a little silly, kind of unnecessarily, but usually fun in the end.
The latest theme game I attended was this past Sunday's Stitch N Pitch day. It's the perfect event for me: I can watch my favorite sport, embroider for a few hours, and hang out with other stitchers. I didn't know about Stitch N Pitch until this season; I don't know if the Nats have done one before, but the Seattle Mariners have had a similar event for fourteen years. I love this blogger's take on the Mariners' event. I feel bad that she experienced some negative comments, but overall it sounds like a great day of baseball and knitting. And the start: every baseball, does in fact, start with a ball of yarn.
I love sewing in public. It's one of those things that seems both innocent and subversive at the same time. Knitting, crochet, quilting, embroidery, needlework have always been in the realm of the female and the home. A lot of women artists use textiles in both traditional and unconventional ways in their art, and these types of art forms find popularity all the time. I've been embroidering steadily for over 10 years, and I love the fact that so many people are into sewing and other fabric arts. The times I've embroidered in public have mostly been non-events; sometimes people ask me questions about what I'm doing, but for the most part, no one really notices. I've only had one negative experience and it wasn't even that bad. The guy was being a jerk, I told him so, he moved on.
So I was looking forward to Stitch N Pitch because it brings together two things I really enjoy: baseball and embroidery. I even decided on a baseball themed project, the first part of my Detroit Project, Tiger Stadium. The idea of doing something like embroidery at a baseball game appeals to my feminist heart. Giving makers a very public place to create, even better! Best day ever!
I'm sure that the weather was part of the problem; it rained all day (playable rain, but still rain), so attendance was low. When I got to my seat there was a group of crocheters in the section next to mine. They invited me to join them and be part of their colorful yarn tribe. Anita and her mom where joining me, so I declined. They were really the only other group I saw, so it was a little disappointing. I wanted it to feel like a fun community of makers and it was a bit of a letdown. I still had fun with Anita and her mom because they're the best, and I got a good start on my Tiger Stadium project, but Stitch N Pitch was a bit of a bust.
Maybe next year, Nationals...in more ways than one.
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