On Sunday, it appeared that a Dodgers fan sitting behind the plate at Chase Field was asked to cover his Dodgers gear with a Diamondbacks-approved jersey. Arizona has a history of doing this; back in 2013 they made another group of Dodgers fans switch their clothes. It's certainly not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it is incredibly petty and little brother-ish, which is why it became a story. Twice. On Monday, HardballTalk wrote up a post explaining all of this, and later received a statement from the Diamondbacks. It read as follows:ICYMI, a Dodgers fan was asked to change into a #DBacks jersey while seated behind home plate. http://t.co/1xz6hwUqWP pic.twitter.com/GSCjJBNTvL
— Andrew Joseph (@AndyJ0seph) April 14, 2015
Again, incredibly petty and little brother-ish, but it's their stadium, you buy a ticket and gain entry subject to their terms. Ken Rosenthal has a follow up, just posted tonight, with more from the Diamondbacks and it seems to be at odds with what the spokesperson told HardballTalk."At the time of purchase, we ask that those fans sitting in the home plate box, which is visible on TV, wear either neutral colors or D-backs attire which the team will provide."
Now, two days later, the Diamondbacks have gone from a terse "Sorry, but them's the rules," to "Hey man, we merely state our preference…and besides, this was all a joke amongst friends." And, not for nothing, this guy chose to wear Dodger blue (as he is apparently permitted to do) and then changed it mid-game…for some reason. I don't know what's going on, but there is an easy solution: just let people wear whatever team apparel they want. I promise you, this whole episode is way more embarrassing than seeing an opposing team's hat on TV.[FOX Sports]"At the time of purchase, fans who are looking to buy those seats are informed that we prefer that they wear D-backs or neutral attire. We offer them alternative locations or even provide them with team gear.
"However, should they purchase them and choose to wear opposing team gear, they are permitted to do so. That was also the case this past Sunday when a fan made his way into the box to say hello to a friend. In that instance, they joked around with their usher before another fan sitting in those seats gave him her jersey in jest.""