As is all too common for the Padres, Petco Park will not be open for baseball during the World Series this year.
The team’s collapse this year has owners, players and fans wondering what will happen in 2022. On the internet, in the newspapers and on sports radio the fans and pundits are abuzz with ideas, from who should be the new manager to which players to dump and who to go after.
There is one big change, though, that could be made for the coming year if the Padres consider their fans’ best interests. It’s not about spending money on new players, but a relatively low-cost solution to a year-long omission at the park.
It’s about the missing ushers.
In years past, a fan wouldn’t be allowed to enter the section where their seats were if there was any action on the field. Without the attendants controlling the flow of people this year, it was like going to a crowded movie theatre where your view of the film is constantly blocked by people coming and going, getting popcorn, returning with drinks. It’s something most theater-goers know is not good behavior.
But that is exactly what transpired at Padre games this year. Spectators, oblivious to the game going on below them, would block sightlines to the field as they would arrive mid-inning, often with an entourage of family and friends, confused where their seat was, standing and passing out food or leaving their seat and stopping to talk to folks along the way.
It became a matter of standing up if you wanted to see the action, blocking the fans behind you or trying to look around the human obstacles to get a glimpse of the action.
One of the ushers, who are always helpful and polite, was asked during a late-season game about the obstructed views, not unlike sitting behind a roof support at old Fenway Park. Why were the ushers no longer holding back people at the entrance to seating sections until there was a lull in the game as they did before the pandemic? And as any fan knows, there is no lack of lulls in baseball.
The usher said the team owners didn’t want the lines forming as fans were going to their seats. But apparently the owners don’t have this problem from their seats.
There were plenty of lines visible on the concourse of the ballpark where many fans gathered around concession stands. Some lines were only a few people, such as for lemonade, but not so for beer and alcohol. A number of the lines had a dozen, or more fans in line. The same could be said for tacos, hot dogs and pizza.
When the lines were pointed out to the usher, he smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders.
As for the Padres’ official response to this, vice president of communications of Craig Hugner wasn’t talking. In response to an email, he said, “The Padres will not be providing public comment on the matter.” We had wanted to ask if they were blaming an usher shortage for the problem.
Former San Diegan Carol Sottilli was at one of the season-ending Giants-Padre games and saw what happened repeatedly during the game.
“As a serious fan who traveled from the East Coast to attend a Padres game, I was very disappointed,” she said. “Perhaps it’s time to create a dedicated section for those who care to watch the game rather than take selfies and block everyone else’s sight lines.”
As the pandemic eases and more people are vaccinated, maybe the Padres will consider returning the ushers as the gatekeepers. It will not only make the game more enjoyable for fans, but it may also remind those entering the stands that there are people actually watching the play.
JW August is a San Diego-based broadcast and digital journalist.
