As a kid, I always wanted to do those night under the stars events at the ballpark where they’d put on movies, let you bring a sleeping bag, stuff you full of hot dogs and peanuts, and basically give you a memory to last the majority of your childhood (or at least until school started up after the summer ended). But there’s something about doing it as a grownup — between loads of laundry, vet appointments, the eternal struggle of deciding whether to eat half a giant burger and feel OK or a whole giant burger and feel awful later, and everything else that goes into adulting super hard — that makes spending the night at a stadium, arena or ballpark even more fun.
And apparently there’s a chance to do that, if you’re lucky enough. Airbnb is offering a night at Fenway Park on Sept. 2 as part of a contest they’re running. All you have to do is say “why staying overnight at Fenway Park is a dream of yours” and fill out some forms and stuff on the site, and you’re entered.
Some of the details in the listing are terrific. Yes, there’s a real bed, and air conditioning, and internet, and even shampoo. So that’s good. There’s also a bunch of other stuff in there, like being hosted by Curt Shilling, getting a spending spree at the team shop and attending the game the next day. Basically this is a really cool opportunity, and one of those things that deserves to be commended from both the Airbnb side and the Red Sox for making it happen. (These types of partnerships are not that easy to pull off, as someone who has been in meetings like this.)
But by far the best Easter egg in here are the House Rules:
•Do not, under any circumstances, put bloody socks in laundry.
•No horses on the field. (Sorry, Mo.)
•Shaving is optional.
•If the front door is stuck shut, try rotating 180 degrees and then thrusting your whole body forward a la Luis Tiant.
•No cursing.
•Don’t step on the foul line.
•If you choose to use the batting cage, acceptable stances to use include but are not limited to: the Dewey, the Nomah, the Youk and the Teddy.
•4-beer minimum to sit in bleachers.
•If you choose to dance, move like a Wakefield knuckleball.
•Always stay to the left of that pesky foul pole in right field.
So enter away, and if you win, I’m sure we’d be more than happy to let you tell your story on the site at some point.
