On Tuesday night Helene, Mallory, and I went to see the Congressional Baseball, an annual baseball game between the Republicans and the Democrats played every year to benefit charity. This year the Washington Literacy Council, which tutors kids who are struggling to learn to read, and the Washington, DC, Boys and Girls Club were selected to benefit from the proceeds of the game. A unique fact about the uniforms: each Congressional member wears a uniform with a special meaning. Some of the players wear their college or high school uniforms while others represent a school or professional team in their district.
I was very entertained by some of the differences that I noticed between this game and other baseball games that I have attended. First of all, the attire for fans ranged from suits with ties to campaign shirts to college Democrat or Republican shirts with catchy (and politically charged) slogans. I also enjoyed their unique cheers (the Democrats shouted "Earmarks!" at a Republican batter, and their signs ("Majority Rocks!") Finally, I did not fully appreciate how serious the game was until I heard multiple people get yelled at for standing in the aisle while a player was up to bat. - Kelly F.
Helene: I was excited to see my Ohio Representative Steve Driehaus playing for the Democrat team. Any chance to crack a political joke in the context of the game was taken, like when a Republican pitcher hit a Democratic batter and a spectator yelled, "That was for Healthcare Reform, wasn't it?" Although the crowd was as bipartisan as Congress can be, it was nice to know every spectator had the commonality of supporting a good cause.
Mallory: My favorite part of the baseball game was the crowd that it brought in. In addition to the baseball addicts, the game brought in activists, who voiced their political opinions throughout the game. I thought that the atmosphere was unique, and it was fun to see our Congressmen having fun outside the office.
No comments:
Post a Comment