Don’t do it! (Photo by Doctor J.Bass)

Don’t do it! (Photo by Doctor J.Bass)

One of of the true bright spots in the mediocre beginning of the Washington Nationals’ 2013 season has been a growing campaign to end the awful grandstand practice known as “the Wave.” It’s amateurish, never well-timed, and, well, kind of pointless. It’s also quite rambunctious for a stadium that urges its patrons to not be disruptive to the on-field action; Nationals Park, rare among ballparks, employs ushers to keep fans returning to their seats from bathroom and concession stand runs at bay until an at-bat has finished.

Yet the Wave endures, especially when the stadium is packed. Some fans have started selling T-shirts urging the Wave to be killed off. And the author of the fan blog Nationals Archive has crafted handbills to be passed out at games.

But what about the the people whom the Wave most directly impacts: the Washington Nationals themselves. Opinions inside the clubhouse appear to be split. Some players outright hate the gesture. “Kill it,” reliever Ryan Mattheus told D.C. Sports Bog last September. “It’s the worst thing in sports. Sit down and watch the game.”

Another member of the Nats’ bullpen, Drew Storen, agreed that the Wave is distracting and possibly perilous in a close game. “We’ve had a couple of times where it’s been the bottom of the eighth and it’s a close game. Cheer for the game, you know?”

However, despite their teammates’ distaste for rowdy fans entertaining themselves by quickly standing up and throwing their hands in the air while voicing a boorish “whoosh” noise, and an invigorated rejection by some spectators, Mattheus and Storen might not have many locker room allies in their quest to end the Wave. At least three of the Nationals’ everyday players, including their biggest star, like the Wave.

Harper followed that tweet with a quote attributed to Jayson Werth. “Nothing cooler than seeing a packed house do the wave,” Harper tweeted.

Meanwhile, shortstop Ian Desmond is also encouraging fans to keep it up:

But the tide might be turning against the Wavers. Over at D.C. Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg reports that a recent confrontation between a Waver and a non-Waver who wanted the crowd to settle down so as not to rattle the shaky-so-far Dan Haren. The fan who allegedly tried to instigate the Wave got rowdy, and was reportedly tossed from the game.

If that’s true, good on Nationals Park for encouraging polite fandom.

Filed Under: bryce harper, fans, ian desmond, ryan mattheus, the wave, washington nationals,