Stressed federal workers seek comfort of baseball, hot dogs and cold brews amid uncertain futures

The cherry blossoms are blooming, and the Nationals are back in the District to open the MLB season on Thursday. Spring couldn’t come fast enough for current and former federal workers who’ve endured a turbulent winter.

President Trump has followed through on his campaign promise to downsize the federal government during his first two months in office. 

No official data is available, but thousands upon thousands of federal employees have accepted buyouts, been fired or otherwise lost their jobs.

Enter baseball. The American pastime is here to distract, unify and encourage District residents who don’t know what the future will hold.

The Nationals, who open their regular season Thursday afternoon at home against the Philadelphia Phillies, offered free tickets for Tuesday’s exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles to any current or former federal worker.

A team spokesperson said the offer wasn’t inspired by current events, just an extension of similar offers for first responders, servicemembers and teachers.

Hundreds of current and former civil servants lined up outside the first-base box office on a rainy Monday afternoon to claim their free tickets.

“It’s the American pastime,” said James Anderson, a retired Social Security worker. “What better way to gather some patriotism than to turn to baseball, a truly American sport?”

The weather didn’t seem to bother Anderson. Nor did the lines, which stretched up First Street in Southeast.

It helped that the barrier to access was low, several fans said. Any worker ID, federal pay stub or government email address was enough to secure the tickets.

“Federal employees deserve a break,” said Witold Skwierczynski, another longtime Social Security worker. “This is nice, for the Nats to acknowledge that.”

The offer only got more enticing as the rain poured down. The exhibition was canceled without a make-up date. Instead, the Nationals are allowing the federal workers to exchange their tickets for a seat at a regular-season game.

“It’s a really good thing,” Anderson said of the ticket offer. “It’s a really sad time for federal workers, and it’s something to take your mind off of what’s going on in the headlines.”

The Nationals could be the great unifier for the nation’s capital this year. Locals’ concerns about potentially rising unemployment and falling home values could be offset by success on the diamond. 

A winning team can bring everyone together, according to former National Ryan Zimmerman.

“We saw that in 2019 when we had the World Series run. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like or what side of the aisle you’re on,” he told The Washington Times. “Everyone can root for one thing, and I think we need more of that in our society right now.”

Even if it isn’t a unifier, baseball can at least be an effective distraction for stressed federal workers.

“Baseball and sports in general give everyone a place to come where none of that matters,” Zimmerman said. “Everyone’s rooting for the same team or is just here to have a good time.”

The current and former federal workers outside Nationals Park agreed. Despite different backgrounds and rooting interests, they were still eager to catch a ballgame.

“Whether you’re Democrats or Republicans, it doesn’t matter,” Skwierczynski said. “It’s one thing that people who might be at odds politically can do together.”

It’s easier to enjoy your peanuts and Cracker Jacks when the home team is winning, though. Nationals manager Dave Martinez confessed that he has a plan to rally the city.

“We’re going to try and follow the Capitals. How’s that?” He said Monday, referring to the District’s NHL-leading hockey team.

Unlike the Capitals, the Nationals don’t have a surefire Hall of Famer like Alex Ovechkin on the squad. Instead, Martinez is looking toward a young core that features star outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews.

For years, the preseason analysis has been the same: the Nationals are on the upswing. They built a foundation through the draft, slowly rebuilding a roster that was quickly dismantled after their championship run.

Martinez said his youngsters have heard enough; they’re “chomping at the bit.”

“All this stuff about, ‘Hey, we’re coming. We’re coming.’ They don’t want to hear that no more,” the manager said. “They want to go out there and try to win.”

Expectations are still low, though. FanGraphs’ sabermetric models predict the Nationals with a losing record in 2025, though with a slight improvement from last year’s 71-91 finish.

Win or lose, the District’s sports fans will make the trek to Nationals Park all summer long. They need it.