I decided to approach this post as a “live blog.”
LOTS AND LOTS of you sent me the email about Let’s Have A Conversation. Like more people sent me this than would send me news that Daniel Murphy has publicly stated that he hates me.
So, I went through this survey cold, and typed my thoughts as I went along. Recap at the end
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The Mets say we (fans) are an important part of the Mets and they’d like to have a conversation with us.
So far so good!
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Then they wanna know if we’re a big sports fan (1-10), what league we like, what’s our favorite team in any sport. I picked from the baseball list which was alphabetical. I guess that’s fair but I felt weird scrolling down to Mets, but I get it.
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An interestingly phrased question – How interested would you say you are right now in the Mets? That right now part jumps at me.
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This is already getting long, but interestingly being asked if I ever attended a game as a kid, and at what age? Did someone realize they pissed a way a generation. maybe two?
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Do you watch Mets games? Listen? Yawn.
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Now we’re onto Minor League Baseball. This next one is interesting. Several people pointed out that Brooklyn Cyclones doesn’t appear to be listed. The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are though. The Cyclones COO will not be pleased.
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Then they want me to type, in my own words, what baseball means to me. That’s a lot of work Mets.
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Ugh this is getting long. Some question that I’m too tired to read about how much the following would matter to me knowing I matter to the Mets or something. Asks about how my answers will impact the team (do I care), having the front office as part of these conversations (do I care), and knowing my answers motivate the players (do I care). This feels a little needy, and I can’t imagine Matt Harvey cares what I think or I imagine he would have kicked my ass by now.
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Oh gawd, now they wanna know how important it is to me to feel like an important part of the Mets.
Chillax Mets. This is a business transaction. You want money, I want good baseball to watch. That’s it. You gave us crap for 10 years, now that we’re 2 weeks into being entertaining you can relax. We like you. Just not THAT much.
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OMG now they wanna know how much I actually FEEL like a valued part of the Mets.
Um, look, I don’t feel like a part of the Mets at all. You guys play baseball and I make fun of you. I’m not part of anything. As soon as you can you’re going to jack ticket prices so let’s not pretend this is anything other than a business transaction, one I have largely opted out of because I find the stadium experience quite boring (despite what the people who pay extra to wear matching t-shirts and stand 500 feet away from the baseball game part tell me about how awesome Citi Field is.)
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Now she’s asking how much impact this conversation has had on me or something….um, look Mets, I gotta go, I’m supposed to hook up, I mean meet up with the Devils later. (That’s a shout out to you @readtheapple). I like you and all and I’m glad you’re doing better but um yeah this is weird…
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Um wow now they wanna know how often I’d like to talk like this. Maybe 4 times a year they ask. Or more!
Um, we didn’t talk about anything. All we talked about was how much I like talking to you. Can we talk about the G.D. Wave or F&#(#g Piano Man? No you didn’t ask about F@^#$g Piano Man did you? Not even once!
The end. I don’t think I need to do a recap after all, I think you saw how I melted down. OMG NEEDY METS ARE NEEDY.
metspolice the experience people need to get a taste of is the energy! All we remember is citi is beautiful, yummy food, etc. #LetsGoMets
metspolice all we Mets fans remember is how great baseball is on tv! You don’t remember the true experience of energy at the ballpark!
metspolice all we remember is delicious food, family fun, etc. What people forget is the energy! That’s the experience we need to go for!
metspolice many #Mets fans haven’t experienced this yet or forget #shea. The experience now is the incredible energy instead of the food!
metspolice she saw a PARAKEET
I took the survey, and in all seriousness, thought they were trying to appeal to the youth. The marketing team did not do a good job with this, but, rather, put it out there hastily and wrote it on a fifth grade reading level. This indicates it was meant for not necessarily the owner of the season box, nor the head of the household. This was meant for the kids, I’m sure. It was an attempt to corral an otherwise disaposable society into some permanent relationships with one team. We were brought up quite differently, as choices and priorities were essential to survival! The youth fan recruitment for the Mets has for the most part, lost a whole generation.
They don’t stick with anything anyway, so to expect them to buy one tee shirt and vow alligience to one team is preposterous . They have disposable cash & disposable shirts and the teams that match up with those shirts are in the dust bin too. $100. Tim Tebow jerseys are hanging on the bedpost and gathering dust there as well. What they need is a HOOK UP- yes, I said it. They need to feel that first rush of puppy love, then an engagement, and investment in the future and then- the big night: no, not the honeymoon, the World Series opener. Look, these kids are used to being entertained. The Mets have to try to sell them on the concept that they are important, everyone matters, everyone gets a trophy, a tee shirt, a membership card. We were the ones sending fan letters to the players back in the day. Now, the fans expect the players to pander to them- it’s a selfie without the camera! I’ve been a Met fan since 1962, where am I gonna go? They know they got me & mine. It’s the next generation they better catch on with, now, while the iron is hot! So, while it was intrusive and ridiculous to ask those stupid questions, it would only appear that way to the jaded, curmudgeonly old fart. Putting on a Met tee shirt is easy- living in it for 54 seasons= priceless. Let’s see if they follow up on these convos…I give them zero – to- 20% chance that it catches on with the kids. (Not interactive enough, and nothing got shot down in a fire ball. )