Mets need more than Free Shirt Friday to bring in the fans to Citi Field

The New York Mets aren’t giving fans much of a reason to attend games in 2018. Baseball already has its attendance issues and a bad team won’t help.

Is there anything like going to a Major League Baseball game? I suppose attending a minor league one isn’t far off. With the way the 2018 New York Mets have played, it’s likely a better bet anyway.

I’m not one who goes to baseball games very often. I enjoy the game from the comfort of my home away from the crowds, commutes, and overpriced hot dogs.

Baseball is still a passion of mine, but there’s something missing. The desire to attend games isn’t there.

As a youth, I’d see dozens of minor league games a year live in person. I’d also take a trip to see a few major league games with my dad as well. These were very special occasions.

Back when I was a kid, seeing an MLB game was different. I didn’t have to worry about beating traffic. The price of hot dogs didn’t matter. I was there to watch grown men play a game.

MLB is having attendance issues in 2018 and there are certainly many reasons for it. In Mets’ Land, one of them is because the team has played so poorly. Nobody wants to attend a sporting event when they know their team has no shot at winning.

Thus far in 2018, I have gone to one Mets’ game. To make the 1 PM start with enough time to settle in and eat, I had to leave home at 10 AM. By the time the game ended and I made it back home, it was already close to 8 PM. My Sunday was devoted solely to this one game. Fortunately, it was a rare Mets win at Citi Field.

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Not everyone is as lucky as I am. My 1.000 winning percentage at Mets games this year is unlikely to change. Between work and enjoying other things in life outside of baseball, I’m not sure I have a day this summer to focus on going to a Mets game.

I don’t think I’m alone either. It’s going to take a lot more than Free Shirt Fridays to bring fans to the ballpark for the rest of 2018.

Will it take Peter Alonso‘s MLB promotion in the second-half to attract fans? Or what about something less likely, such as a winning streak?

The road the Mets are headed on makes me think a week of Tim Tebow in late September is the only way to draw fans.

I feel bad for fans who in April saw the hot start and bought tickets to see this team play later on in the year. It’s not easy for everyone to see a game. When they finally do get out to Citi Field, it’s important that the best product possible is on the field.

Sadly, those fans were hoodwinked into thinking this year’s model of the Mets would be more satisfactory.

It’s unfortunate that a fan base with such dedicated fans gets served with such a cold dish. Whether we blame the owners, the general manager, or the players, there isn’t much of a reason to see this team play at home.

Next: Five former Mets succeeding elsewhere

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