Mets Ask Fans to Pledge Loyalty, Fans Respond by Basically Saying 'I Got Your Loyalty Pledge Right Here!'

Letter sent by Mets

The Mets recently sent out the above letter to their fans, urging them to show their support for the team. The letter, signed by members of the '69 and '86 World Series winning teams, says "We wouldn't have won without you. So we're calling on you to give today's club the same chance we had," which could be construed as a subtle jab at current fans. What was not so subtle is who the letter was addressed to: "True New Yorkers". Many surmise that the entire stunt was possibly a response to a recent New York Times article that suggested the Yankees are the most popular team in the five boroughs, based on data collected from Facebook.

Brooklyn Nets Twitter Account Disses Its Own Fanbase

All in all, the response to the Mets PR stunt was largely negative, with New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro leading the charge with a piece titled "Clueless Mets loyalty letter is an affront to real fans":

Questioning the fealty of fans, challenging them to prove their worth not only as Mets fans but True New Yorkers? Why? Because of one winning homestand? Because a Facebook poll suggested there isn’t, as Tessio from “The Godfather” said, one place in New York where they can hang their hat right now? The Mets are so remarkably dense on such things. There is a simple cure-all, and they should know it better than anyone: Win, and the people come.

Vaccaro's sentiments were echoed by numerous other Twitter users, who didn't care to be told that they should be doing more to support a team that has had five losing seasons in a row:

If the Mets ultimate goal was to generate buzz for their upcoming series against the Yankees, mission accomplished. If part of their plan was to alienate the very people who they hope will loudly support them during said series, mission very accomplished.

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