The Philadelphia Phillies have been holding dollar hot dog night for over 25 years, but the tradition is over thanks to some unruly fans.
The Phillies confirmed Thursday that $1 hot dog night will not be on the promotional schedule for 2024. Instead, the team will offer a 2-for-1 deal at select games, citing a focus on a "positive experience for all fans in attendance.”
One team official said that crowded concourses were one reason for the change, but conceded that one of last year’s dollar dog games served as a “tipping point.”
“It wasn’t just the throwing,” said John Weber, senior vice president, Phillies ticket operations and projects, via Dan Gelston of The Associated Press. “It’s the concourse, the crowds of everybody being at the same X amount of stands. But obviously, you know, the throwing was a little bit of a tipping point.”
The aforementioned “throwing” involved a number of fans launching their dollar dogs around the stands – with some ending up on the field – in an 8-4 loss to Miami. That is not exactly something the Phillies want happening on a regular basis, hence the change.
Phillies fans can be a brutal bunch, as many players have found out through the years. It’s no surprise that a lackluster performance combined with extremely cheap hot dogs led to some chaos, though getting rid of the promotion is inevitably going to spark even more backlash.
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