Tap on tap at Gillette Stadium?

The big football news this past weekend was, of course, the Divider in Chief doing one of the things he does best (i.e., dividing), and on how his targets (NFL teams in general, African-American players in particular) would react to his nastiness, his baiting, his irresponsible ranting and weird attacks. Our local boys, the New England Patriots, responded like just about all the other teams. Management (the owner is a mega buddy of MAGA boy) was “deeply disappointed” by Trump’s words. The team members locked arms during the playing of the national anthem as a sign of solidarity. Some athletes knelt (all African-Americans I believe). Some fans, semi-responding to a White House request – in reality, he’d ask for walkouts, not jeers – booed  the payers. And Our Tom Brady actually and surprisingly came out with a quasi-political statement explicitly disagreeing with Trump.

So much more important than worrying about what’s happening on the nuclear war front…

Anyway, the game went on, with Our Tom pulling out one of his signature down-to-the-wire wins. One of the players who knelt in the pre-game protest, rookie Brandin Cooks, scored the winning touchdown. All was, I’m quite sure, forgiven by the boo-birds.

Meanwhile, it was hot in these parts on Sunday, way hotter than is usual for September, and it was particularly sweltering at Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play. I know the feeling. Years ago, I was at an afternoon game at Fenway Park, mid-July, hot and muggy. I was guzzling water throughout the game – that is, up until the 5th inning or so, when I had to leave while I could still walk out, as opposed to being carried out by EMT’s. There is nothing like baking in a sports stadium sun, that’s for sure.

The folks who were at Sunday’s game, perhaps worn out by all the booing (kneeling African-American athletes) and cheering (Our Tom leading the boys of autumn to a big win), in that dreadfully hot, unshaded stadium, built up a powerful thirst.

Gillette was somewhat prepared for the temperatures – they’d doubled up on the water bottles.

However, the demand far exceeded what they were able to hold in their concession stands and was almost four times the inventory they would have had for an average game.

As different concession stands ran out of water bottles throughout the course of the day, fans asked for cups of tap water instead. Gillette concession stands don’t have the smaller complimentary water cups you may find at other restaurants, so concessionaires resorted to selling tap water in soda cups for $4.50. (Source: Boston Globe)

Not quite in the same category as the gougers who were charging Harvey and Irma victims, say, a hundred bucks for a 20-pack of water bottles but, hey, when you run the numbers, not that far off.

Unlike Fenway Park, which mercifully allows you to carry in your own water bottle, no can do at Gillette Stadium. As for helping yourself to free water…I’ve been to Gillette a few times (Springsteen concert, soccer games), and don’t recall whether there are any bubblers there. Whether there are or not, there are always the taps in the restrooms. But to take advantage of that, of course, you need a cup. Of course, most people don’t think to carry a cup with them when heading to a sports event. And it doesn’t sound like the concessionaires were interested in handing out free cups.

Needless to say, the Twittersphere, Patriots’ fandom division, made the quick shift from debating whether:

• Patriots’ owner Bob Kraft had been strong enough/too strong in his reaction to the criticism being hurled the NFL’s way from his Oval Office BFF;
• To counting noses on who took a knee during “The Star Spangled Banner;
• To going wild about what they were being charged for a few swigs of water when the Patriots (a plenty $$$ flush team) should have been giving water out and setting up misting stations where people could cool down. (The Red Sox now have a few of these around when’s it brutally hot at a game.)

Obviously, the directive to overcharge fans for free water didn’t come from on high. There’s no way the venerable Kraft Family knew this was going on. They may be as greedy and venal as the next guys, but this is definitely not their brand. Other than Bob Kraft’s odd support and affection for Trump – Kraft is a lifelong Democrat – the Kraft brand is known for a) creating a winning football franchise out of some pretty thin air; b) the family’s extensive philanthropy; and c) the fact that, before his wife’s body was cold, Bob Kraft had himself a girlfriend who was younger than his daughters-in-law. (Maybe that’s the commonality with Trump? Kraft himself says that their friendship was solidified when Trump was very solicitous of Kraft after his wife died.)

Some are guessing that those running the concession are charged by the concession owners for the liquids they dispense by counting cups. Thus, they would be charged for giving away a cup for free. This theory does hold some water. Still, one might think cooler heads might have prevailed and figured out that people were going to be wicked pissed if they had to pay $4.50 for a cup of tap water. Even though, when you buy a bottle of Desani – and, I’m sure, plenty of other water brands – you’re paying for tap in a bottle. Not to mention that, if you’re willing to pay $4.50 for a cup of spray soda, you’re mostly paying for flavored tap water and a bit of fizz. So why not pay $4.50 for something that’s arguably better for you: good old tap water? None of us thinks this way, of course. I’d be plenty ticked off if I’d had to pay that much for water. Maybe a nominal fee for the cup. But even that…

Anyway, the Patriots have apologized to their fans, and have promised not to let it happen in the future. (Just in case, if I ever go to Gillette again, I’ll make sure to carry a collapsible cup in my bag.)

Ah, well, nice to have a tempest in a teapot to focus on, rather than fret about what Trump’s got up his sleeve to further pull the country apart.