Bob’s Wheelchair Blog

The New Season

It's not a coincidence that the start of baseball season is timed to sync with the start of spring. Warmer weather brings flowers, fruits and most importantly, the crack of the bat and the snap of the ball hitting the glove.

After months of rain, snow, and cold, the two new seasons coincide to provide the perfect diversion.

Five years ago, in search of such a diversion, I packed up all my gear, loaded the back of my van, and set off on a two-week drive to see America and watch as much baseball as possible. I ambitiously scheduled the trip so I could catch games in Minnesota, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City, all in a stretch of six days. It's the kind of trip thousands of fans make every year- the one difference being that I'm a quadriplegic in a power wheelchair.

As you might expect, that one difference ended up shaping the trip and many of my memories of what proved to be a highly unforgettable two weeks. Thanks to a lot of planning and an amazing attendant/friend who helped me, the trip surpassed all my expectations and went relatively smoothly. I saw a ton of baseball, drove thousands of miles through parts of the country I'd never seen, and learned a lot about myself, my abilities, and traveling in a chair.

I nearly melted in the historic Wrigley Field bleachers. I talked my way into prime front row seats in centerfield at Miller Park. I squeezed into the questionably proportioned (and rare) wheelchair seating at the Metrodome. I nearly melted again in a seat about a mile above New Busch Stadium. I snuck into $100 seats at an almost empty Kauffman Stadium.

By the time I got to the final game of the trip, I had become an expert on sweet-talking ushers into upgrading my wheelchair tickets, and had learned the ultimate secret to attending sporting events as a fan in-chair: standing room only tickets.

The irony is not lost on me, but trust me, standing room only tickets are the way to go for chair users. Think about it: the downside to SRO tickets for most people is that, while they guarantee admission, they don't guarantee a seat. A seat is one thing chair users never have to worry about. All we need is some space to park in, and we're set. Thankfully, space is something almost all of the new stadiums have in abundance.

Instead of spending $50-$100 on tickets in a primo section, you can often find an equally good vantage point with $10 tickets. It's slightly more complicated if you're with friends, but I've found ushers pretty receptive to letting a friend sit with me in an empty seat.

For those who would say this is taking advantage of the system, I'd probably agree. That said, the same system usually forces wheelchair users to pay premium prices for the worst seats in the section. Almost all new stadiums and arenas place chair users in the last row of the section. The result is you are the farthest person from the action, but paid the higher price to be closer.

I complained about this very setup at a game in Los Angeles last year. The ticket seller pointed to another seating option right behind the dugout. When I asked how much those tickets were, she just laughed at me. "$625," she told me in-between chuckles. I'm sure a lot of quads and power chair users have that kind of dough to shell out.

Despite the occasional seating frustration and chair-related hassle, there's still nothing in my book that tops sitting down the third base line, basking in the sun and rooting for your team for three hours. Here in Portland, Oregon we haven't had a sunny day all year and have yet to even hit 60 degrees. But with baseball season kicking off, it finally feels like spring. Wherever you are, don't let your chair, scooter (or whatever you have) stop you from enjoying the new season.  

 

Guest blog by Ian Ruder.

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