Well, you know if I am back writing here on MetsPolice the Mets have done something stupid with an Irish promotion.
A few years back it was the racist leprechaun hats for St. Paddy’s Day — mercifully retired, may they rest in a landfill somewhere. But now the Mets have gone and stumbled into actual Irish politics.
The good news first: August 28th is Irish Heritage Night at Citi Field, and that’s genuinely great. I remember Irish nights at Shea, standing there listening to Black 47 — if you don’t know them, go look them up. They’ve since retired, but Shilelagh Law is taking the stage this year, and honestly, no complaints there. I like them.
Buy a special ticket, you get a special Irish-themed jersey. Naturally, I had to take a look.
Green? Good. Can’t argue with green. The Celtic-style font is nicely done, and the Celtic scroll around the sleeves is a genuinely nice touch — somebody in the design room knew what they were doing.
And then there’s the number.
26.
Not good, folks. Not good at all.
But Dan, it’s obviously the year. It’s 2026.
Yeah, I get it. But pair “26” with anything Irish and you’ve wandered — unknowingly, I’m sure — straight into a political minefield. Here’s the quick history lesson nobody at the Mets front office apparently got: Ireland is made up of 32 counties, same idea as our states. Twenty-six of them make up the free Republic of Ireland. The other six are still part of the UK. Put “26” on an Irish-themed jersey, and whether you meant to or not, you’re making a statement that you support a divided Ireland.
I will absolutely give the Mets the benefit of the doubt here – I don’t think this was intentional. I’d bet real money the intern who mocked this jersey up had no idea. Neither did the boss who signed off. Neither did that boss’s boss. Nobody, it seems, thought to Google “Ireland 26” — because if they had, this exact issue is the very first thing that pops up.
I love that Irish Heritage Night is back. I love pieces of this jersey design — genuinely, the font and the scrollwork are well done. But I won’t be wearing it, because of what it accidentally says and symbolizes.
Come on, Mets. Do better. It’s not that hard to check.
