Deuce: Bryce Harper Made A Dumb Mistake
By Deuce Mason
Bryce Harper is one of the bright young stars in MLB and he's having an incredible season, but he still has some growing up to do.
Harper was asked about the atmosphere and fan support in Washington for the Nationals-Mets series and he said: "They left in the seventh, so that was pretty brutal. I don't know. Whatever."
There's zero gain in calling out the fans.
What Bryce failed to understand is that he called out the "casual fan." Not every person who attends a sporting event--especially a baseball game-- is a die-hard fan of the team.
Those "casual fans" go to the game to enjoy the atmosphere. Some fans who go to games don't care about the result. Monday's game was a popular destination for the "casual fan" because it was a holiday. They had the day off and wanted to do something fun with their kids.
So, those "casual fans" who left in the seventh inning? They don't even know what Bryce said!
The fans who heard it and are most impacted by Harper's comments are the fans who stuck around for the entire game.
Those are the same fans who have dealt with the constant disappointment. Those are the same fans who invest 3 1/2 hours each night to watch their team play and spend a lot of money on merchandise and tickets to root on their Nationals.
Those are the same fans who prior to the season heard you say: 'Where's my ring?' It's absolutely stupid how good our staff is."
Last season, Suns forward Markieff Morris called out Phoenix fans for a bad homecourt advantage. What did he prove? That he had no pulse on the fanbase.
You're better than that, Bryce.
