LivingSocial’s marketing department must be feeling pretty clever right now. The daily deals giant scored oodles of goodwill last month after circumventing the dispute over post-Nationals games Metro service by offering to cover the tab itself. Even better for the company, that publicity ended up not costing a penny.

Because of the way the playoff games were scheduled, as NBC 4’s Adam Tuss notes, there was no need to run any late night Metro funded by LivingSocial.

“The first two [games] were early starts,” writes Metro spokesman Dan Stessel in an email. “The last game was on a Friday when we provide service until 3 a.m. anyway.” And of course, unfortunately, the Nationals didn’t make it to the National League Championship Series, which would have entailed some 8 p.m. starts this week.

While LivingSocial didn’t respond to a request for comment, the sponsorship opportunity actually might have worked out better for them if it was actually needed. While Metro would have required a $29,500 deposit from the company for an extra hour of service, it would have made some of the money back based on how many people rode during the extra hour.

When Verizon Center paid for late-night Metro for a Madonna concert, for example, it only ended up paying around $1,500.

Elsewhere in Nationals season wrap-up news, the District is sticking by the mayor’s promise to fly St. Louis’ flag over the Wilson Building.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery