Mount Rushmore Races on Washington, D.C. Ball Field

Most baseball fans spend their energies cheering for their team, but lately, the hoots and hollers from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. have been a little… different.

“Go George Dub-ya!” “Abe Lincoln, you’re a cheater!” “Run Tom, run!” “For crying out loud, let Teddy Roosevelt win!”

To spice things up at Washington Nationals games, the team started a game in 2005 called the Presidents Race. During the middle of the fourth inning of every home game, out walk four men dressed in costumes that represent the four presidents on Mount Rushmore: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. The four large-headed mascots then run a footrace on the field, to the giddy delight of fans. In fact, the race has become so popular that Geico now sponsors the promotion, and the team even holds special president bobblehead nights. This is one of my favorite parts: according to the Let Teddy Win! blog, attendance last season on bobblehead nights was 42% higher than average. I love it!

Speaking of the Let Teddy Win! blog (a great blog that deserves credit for bringing this pretty brilliant idea to my attention), the Presidents Race has a problem. Or rather, it has a great marketing shtick for keeping things interesting. As the title of the blog implies, our 26th president never wins. Despite some noble attempts - including the use of a zip line, a rickshaw and secret service agents, according to the blog - Teddy’s never clinched victory. Hence the red-faced president on the tally board above.

(Which, by the way, is a really lousy representation of Rushmore. Brown rocks? C’mon…)

I think it’s a great idea. There are presidential reenactors at Mount Rushmore at various times during the year, including the massive Independence Day fireworks show. But I’ve never seen any of them do a footrace along the Presidential Trail. That might be a little over-the-top. Maybe in downtown Rapid City? With the City of Presidents statues lining the streets, it would make a great setting. So how about it: the Nationals presidents on tour?