Sports teams are getting cozy with their biggest rivals to sell more snacks

The bible tells us to “love your enemies,” and major sports teams seem to be taking that doctrine seriously. Or at least their stadium concession stands are. 

Fans come to stadiums for the game, but they almost always indulge in the food, too—which typically reflects the cuisine of their home team’s city. But now, baseball and football stadiums have begun offering some local bites of their opponents’ teams in a bid to sell more concessions. 

On March 27, Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, stadium food for the Washington Nationals will offer a new signature concession item: a platter of loaded nachos dubbed the “Stolen Plate Special.” The toppings on those cheesy chips will change throughout the season to incorporate the “famous flavors of the opposing team’s city,” according to Levy, the hospitality group behind sports and entertainment arenas. This means more opportunity to satisfy visiting fans, increase sales, and even encourage some “culinary” competition.

“As chefs, we’re constantly looking at the world around us for inspiration,” says Adam Carter, regional executive chef at Levy who oversees food options at Nationals Park. “Local connection is important, but we also find opportunities to incorporate flavors from other cities or regions, especially if we can represent the visiting team during a big series.”

Counter concessions

Baseball isn’t the only sport where opposing fans share greasy stadium food. Last year, the NFL’s Buffalo Bills unveiled the “Battle Boat”: a two-foot-long boat of waffle fries that featured one half representing Buffalo fare and the other that of the visiting team. In a a stadium food review video, content creator Cameron Guzzo called the taste “phenomenal.”

Buffalo’s massive fry boat changed its toppings with every new opponent that visited the stadium. The Nationals will follow a similar formula to offer fans a taste of the visiting flavors. Sports concessions should be comforting, familiar, and nostalgic, Carter says—even for visiting fans. 

The first iteration of the Nats’ nacho platter will be cheesesteak nachos for their three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Of course, the dish is an homage to Philadelphia’s famous delicacy. 

Future Stolen Plate Specials will continue to incorporate different cities’ famous foods. During the Nationals’s series against the New York Mets, the nachos will be topped with everything-bagel chips, pastrami, and swiss cheese sauce to reflect NYC’s famous foods. And during the team’s series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, hatch chile-braised chicken, chicharrons, and a spicy queso will load the nachos to represent the Dbacks.

“Fans are prideful when it comes to food, just like they are about their favorite team,” says Carter. “So we like to tap into that passion in a fun way.”

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