Both teams in the 2017 Congressional Baseball Game for Charity posed for a photo. Image courtesy of repmobrooks, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
It happens every year in Washington, D.C. It pits Democrats against Republicans. It’s conducted at prime time in a big venue. It’s open to the public. And all that comes out of it are laughs, cheering, good-natured razzing and lots of high-fives. Oh, and charitable donations to support a variety of non-partisan causes.
It’s not a debate, it’s not a town hall meeting and it’s certainly not a rally. This is the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity, a tradition since 1909, and it takes the field on Wednesday, June 11 at 7:05 ET at Nationals Park, home field of the Washington Nationals. It’s one of the most popular and family-friendlysports events of the summer, in D.C. too, with tickets in the price range of $12 to $18.
According to the official website, Representative John Tener of Pennsylvania, a former professional baseball player himself, organized the inaugural game in 1909.
The Boston Daily Globe observed, “The game was brewing for weeks and … deep, dark rumors were in circulation that ‘ringers’ would be introduced, but when they lined up at 4 o’clock, the nine Republicans were stalwart, grand old party men, while the Democrats were of the pure Jeffersonian strain.”
The game has, at times, interfered with legislative business; the site notes, “In 1914, Speaker James Beauchamp ‘Champ’ Clark of Missouri became frustrated with the Congressional Baseball Game interfering with legislative business. An Appropriations bill on Civil War cotton damage was to be debated on the House Floor, but a quorum was not present.
In desperation, Clark sent the Sergeant at Arms to American League Field to return the Members to the House Chamber. When the Sergeant at Arms arrived, rain had already canceled the game. The House eventually achieved a quorum but adjourned without making progress on the bill because members remained preoccupied with their unfinished work on the baseball diamond.”
Years later, bipartisan baseball still serves as a distraction – albeit a fun one – for members of Congress who need the break from the stress of their day jobs. Not everyone plays, but many members of Congress show up to watch – along with their families, staff members and friends.
Bonus: If you’re buying a ticket, you can opt to sit in a party-specific section and perhaps purchase merch like official T-shirts or even big red or blue foam hands to wave. Or you can sit anywhere else and scream, cheer, yell and eat hot dogs like you would at any other game.
While in the game’s early years, teams actually had party-specific uniforms, modern games have been all about hometown pride, with members typically wearing jerseys of the professional baseball teams or college baseball teams in their congressional district or home state. Teams are co-ed and diverse.
There have been some notable milestones over the years, says Wikipedia. In 1957, Rep. Gerald Ford of Michigan (yes, that Gerald Ford) hit the first known grand slam while playing for the Republicans. In 1979, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas hit what is believed to be the first home run hit over the fence. Reps. John Shimkus of Illinois and Greg Steube of Florida are the only other players to hit out-of-the-park home runs, doing so in 1997 and 2021, respectively.
The game has not been without incident. Players have occasionally had to be pulled from the roster because of in-game injuries, including broken bones from colliding with opposing team members. A shooting disrupted practice and caused critical injuries in 2017. Last year, protesters stormed the field – and were promptly arrested.
Generally, though, what happens has been funny. In 1911, the game was called to a halt in the fourth inning by unanimous consent since most players were sore. In 1914, Congressman Walt Elder of Louisiana lost his shoes and pitched in his socks. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson had to throw the first ball twice because Washington Senators manager Clark Griffith was unable to catch it. In 1963, neither team could field a pitcher; as a result, relief pitcher George Susce of the Washington Senators pitched for both teams.
Over the years, the game has rotated around to several locations; most recently, it has been presented at Nationals Park, the closest diamond to Capitol Hill. (By the way, this year’s teams are listed here in case you want to place bets.)
The charitable angle of the game, though, is considered the most important. Over the last century, the game’s popularity has contributed to its evolution into a foundation called Congressional Sports for Charity, which supports charities serving vulnerable children and families in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as providing scholarships to deserving local youth.
Charities include the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the Washington Nationals Philanthropies along with the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund (set up in gratitude to the officers responding to the shooting during practice in 2017).
And at the end of the day, it’s a chance for officials to forget about animosity and to meet one another across the aisle and to enjoy the great American pastime.
MLB.com noted that after one year’s game, “it looked like friends getting together to play a game in the park. They all milled around home plate and the two dugouts and spent time talking, laughing, shaking hands and swapping war stories.”
"You need more things when Republicans and Democrats come together outside of the Capitol," Cedric Richmond (D-LA) commented at the time. "Because when you know somebody and you play against them and you really get to know them, it's hard to call them evil."
“I mean, it’s precisely what we need more of,” said Rep. Johnny Olszewski Jr. (D-MD) who is gearing up for the 2025 event.
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