Why do the Mets sell Sandy Koufax jerseys?

OK Fred, I am calling you out.

Jackie Robinson.  Great man.  Changed the game.  Changed America.  I get it.

Pee Wee Reese….we’re starting to stretch things a bit…Brooklyn team captain, Brooklyn Hall of Famer ..ok maybe (but why no Mel Ott jerseys then?)

But this…

How do you defend this? Sandy Koufax was 6 and 10 in Brooklyn. Six and ten.

Where’s the Willie Mays jersey?  Didn’t he play part of his career in NYC?  Win a World Series? He even has Mets ties.

If the defense is “it sells” then where are the Jeter jerseys?  Why not sell a top-seller?

If the defense is a defunct team – why not sell some Gary Carter Expos wear?  Or some Staubs?

Fred – if you want to stop fat guys from writing that you’ve built a shrine to the Dodgers then you need to think this stuff through.  Yes the Mets have done a lot to add team history to Citi Field…but you ened to think this Dodgers stuff through, or at least spend $300 on three Willie Mays jerseys and put them next to the Koufax’s even if they never sell.

Also – did the Brooklyns have names on the back?  When I see a “Robinson 42” I laugh – isn’t the whole point of retiring #42 to remind us who wore the number?

15 Replies to “Why do the Mets sell Sandy Koufax jerseys?”

  1. Shannon–

    I know I’ve told you before that Aramark is responsible for the store. Its not some Wilpon conspiracy.

    Also, like any store, they aren’t going to continue carrying something that does not sell. Clearly people buy the Brooklyn Dodgers stuff as they continue to carry it.

    People still romanticize and reminisce about the Brooklyn Dodgers in ways that the NY Giants never ever approach.

  2. That doesn’t matter in my eyes. If you want to celebrate NY NL history then like Shannon said, there should be a Mays and an Ott jersey as well. The outfield wall doesn’t cut it. They should have some sliver of NL NY history in the stadium…SOMEWHERE. You walk in and all you see is Dodgers stuff. The staff aren’t even wearing Mets colors. I can’t count the ways the Wilpons have screwed things up

  3. Couldn’t agree with you more, Shannon. Where is the love for Willie Mays, who was a star and played two NY NL teams into the World Series (and actually also wore a Mets jersey once upon a time)? Where is the love for successful Giant players like Bill Terry (the last NL player to have a season batting average above .400)and Carl Hubbell? Does sharing a common home field mean nothing?

    1. i agree as well.
      willie great hall of famer,great rep of new york base ball and ended his carrer with the mets.
      when will the mets retire his number?
      when he dies.

  4. Whether this is a Wilpon conspiracy or some Aramark thing as Corey states, it is absolutely inappropriate to sell Brooklyn Dodgers shirts/jerseys at a stadium devoted to the METS. I’m sure Aramark runs most concessions throughout baseball (I believe they also sell Red Sox stuff) – perhaps they should sell Koufax Brooklyn jerseys at DODGER Stadium. That’s just dumb.

  5. I don’t know, it doesn’t ruin my experience at the game rooting for the Mets knowing that there’s some Brooklyn Dodgers downstairs in the store

  6. The obvious question here is whether or not the present-day Dodgers get royalties from this stuff. Right nice of the Mets to subsidize the team in Los Angeles if so.

    1. All teams share licensing royalty money equally. The Royals benefit from the sale of Yankees stuff as much as the Yankees do.

      But the Mets & Aramark share (not sure of the percentage breakdown) the profits from everything sold at Citi Field.

  7. Shannon,

    I tweeted about this on Sunday when I saw them, and got the same “it sells” response.

    But I don’t understand that argument because I have never once seen a Koufax jersey on someone at Citi.

    That said, I’d totally rock a Christy Matthewson jersey…y’know if he had had a name or number on his sweater 🙂

      1. You can go to countless places and pick up a Jeter shirt. Brooklyn Dodgers stuff, is much harder to find. Especially if you grew up watching them, are older and not internet savvy.

  8. I’m the last guy to defend the ‘Pons…but the Mets do have a Coney Island Affiliate…Brooklyn Dodger stuff would not be out of place there. It is probably run by the same company. Perhaps they had some extra Sandys, some extra room at Citi, and there you have it.

    That being said, Sandy did not shine in Brooklyn…the shirt only makes sense if it sells.

  9. Funny thing… my Dad was a HUGE Mays and NY Giants fan as a kid. He went into one the shops last year and asked for a #24 jersey. The clerk said, “Who’s #24?” He responded, “Willie Mays”. The clerk responded, “Who’s Willie Mays?” True story. So, I ended up getting one for him off of eBay. Turns out you can’t buy a #24 Mets jersey with Mays’ name on it. The eBay one looks great, though, and he absolutely loved it. He wore it to Opening Day. Of course, it was so friggin’ cold no one got to see it. 🙁 C’est la vie!

Comments are closed.