Is special seating for the vaccinated a good idea? Tacoma Rainiers think so. We agree
Baseball is an American institution that demands in-game flexibility. To have a chance to win, managers must regularly draw from their bag of tricks, from the infield shift to the squeeze bunt.
The same holds true in the COVID-19 era. Adjusting on the fly is crucial for every organization — including sports clubs — that hope to outlast a virus that’s killed more than 5,500 Washingtonians, throttled our economy and dragged us into extra innings.
With that in mind, we tip our cap to the Tacoma Rainiers. Embarking on their first competitive Triple A season since 2019, the ballclub opens Thursday with a six-game homestand at Cheney Stadium and will immediately have separate sections for vaccinated and unvaccinated fans, in line with Gov. Jay Inslee’s new guidelines.
The message to the Rainiers faithful, Team President Aaron Artman told us: “Now that you’re vaccinated you can sit in the same seats that you may have had for years, and you can operate pretty much freely in the park.” Wearing masks (except while eating or drinking) still applies to all.
Inslee announced Monday that outdoor venues may now add vaccinated sections for events such as sports, graduations and religious services. Total capacity can expand to 50% maximum or 22,000 people, whichever is lower, as long as no more than 9,000 unvaccinated people are admitted. Indoor facilities have tighter restrictions.
This is excellent news for the Rainiers as they strive to keep the pro baseball torch burning bright in Tacoma. The team had planned to hold Cheney Stadium to 25 percent capacity at least for the month of May under the governor’s previous spectator event rules.
Now the Rainiers can accommodate all their nearly 4,000 season ticket holders without rotating them around the ballpark, while creating capacity for some single-game tickets, Artman said.
The team also deserves credit for joining the Seattle Mariners and Sounders in offering on-site vaccinations. Shots will be available Saturday on the fourth floor of the Party Deck, as well at yet-to-be-announced future home games.
Additionally, children under age 16, who aren’t yet eligible for the vaccine but want to sit in a vaccinated section with older family members, can do so if they pass a rapid COVID test outside the stadium.
The Rainiers will roll out the seating changes in phases. Artman told us Tuesday that for the first homestand, three rows of Dugout Club seats behind home plate will be designated for vaccinated season ticket holders, plus part of the upper-reserved section — a total of around 1,500 seats. For the second homestand later this month, they plan to expand it to the whole lower box seat area — a total of around 2,800 seats.
Artman acknowledged some fans can’t get vaccinated for medical reasons, others won’t roll up their sleeves for political or other reasons, and many are generally jaded by COVID fatigue.
The seating changes aren’t intended to make a statement or pass judgment, he said. “Our job is to get people in the stadium and give them the benefits of the seats they paid for.
“I also think we’re being realistic. Clearly vaccination is the main metric and the key to getting the case count down. All we’re doing is playing within the rules.”
Some may complain that allowing special seating for vaccinated people creates a caste system. State Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, spewed an offensive comparison to Jim Crow racial segregation.
Such criticism will likely echo across America in coming weeks as vaccine supply surges, excuses not to get a shot evaporate and various organizations try to incentivize people to get protection from the virus.
But make no mistake: Separating vaccinated from unvaccinated people in large crowds is a reasonable step to move us closer to semi-normal life.
Anything that allows more people to attend a ball game ought to help democratize public gatherings and engender community spirit.
Just ask Steve Jaech of Steilacoom, a longtime Tacoma minor-league baseball fan. He doesn’t have season tickets but attends several Rainiers games each season.
“It’s a delightful place to stop time for a few hours,” Jaech told us. “We’ll be there, as soon as it becomes available to us. It’s really something I look forward to in the spring.”
All in all, the Rainiers are demonstrating a winning flexibility by acting quickly on the new guidelines for spectator events. So did Inslee by agreeing to them.
We wish the Tacoma ballclub much success as early adapters in this statewide experiment. Play ball!
News Tribune editorials reflect the views of our Editorial Board and are written by opinion editor Matt Misterek. Other board members are: Stephanie Pedersen, News Tribune president and editor; Matt Driscoll, local columnist; and Jim Walton, community representative. The Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom and does not influence the work of news reporting and editing staffs. For questions about the board or our editorials, email matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.