Mets: Three community outreach initiatives Steve Cohen should implement

1 of 3

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 31: The 2016 Little League World Series Championship team from Endwell, New York attends batting practice at Citi Field before a game between the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins on August 31, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

The New York Mets have a respected history of charitable giving, and under Steve Cohen’s ownership, they should take these efforts to the next level.

As the new owner of the New York Mets, Steve Cohen takes over both the product on the field and the team’s community outreach off the field. He has already stated that his wife Alex will be running the Mets Foundation, the team’s main outlet for charitable giving. The Cohens have their own charitable organization, aptly named The Cohen Foundation. To date, this foundation has donated $625 million, spread across 3,032 grants, to causes including lyme disease research and prevention, underserved communities, children’s hospitals, and the arts.

The Mets have engaged in many outreach initiatives through the Mets Foundation, which was founded in 1963. They prominently support causes like youth baseball development, military and first responders, and other New York-area organizations like the Mary Brennan Inn and New York Cares.

Regardless of this existing generosity, in one of his first statements as the Mets’ new owner, Cohen pledged to “dramatically increase the giving of the Mets Foundation in the coming years, with priority given to non-profits and causes in communities surrounding Citi Field.” With that in mind, here are a few outreach initiatives that I would love to see during Cohen’s time as owner.

Youth baseball games played at Citi Field

In the past, the Mets have partnered with Little League baseball teams, such as East Rockaway Little League, to sponsor events like the “Future Stars Game” that was scheduled for June 2020 before the pandemic prevented fans from attending regular season games. This event would have featured a pregame parade for members of the Little League team, followed by tickets to that night’s Mets game.

That is all well and good, and I am sure that the kids would have gotten a kick out of going on the field before the game. But what if the Mets took it one step further and actually allowed local Little League teams to play baseball ON the Citi Field grass? Something like this could take place during the All-Star break, when the Mets have no scheduled home games for several days straight.

The Mets did a similar event back in 2013, several days before the 2013 All-Star game at Citi Field. Two local Little League teams, the Queens Kiwanis Champions and the Glen Oaks Little League Challengers, faced off in a one-inning game on the outfield grass at Citi Field. Since then, it does not appear that the Mets have made events like this one a yearly occurrence.

During the next phase of Mets ownership, I would love for the Mets to bring back “on-field Little League games” on a more regular basis. Not only does it endear them to local Little League organizations and the surrounding community, but it gives the kids a very tangible experience of what it might feel like to one day achieve their goals of making it to the major leagues.

In an era where MLB is wondering how to grow the game, perhaps getting more teams to give Little Leaguers a taste of the big-league experience might excite kids enough to keep playing, watching, and sharing the game for years to come.

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 08: Exterior of Citi Field before a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets on July 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Annual “Health Care Worker Appreciation” nights at Citi Field

Earlier on in 2020, the Mets put together a series of kind gestures towards health care workers in the tri-state area. In late March, Pete Alonso sent out personalized video messages to health care workers at several Atlantic Health Care hospitals in New Jersey, thanking the employees for their courageous efforts during this time of crisis. Manager Luis Rojas got in on the action, sending similar messages and speaking on the phone with an 82-year-old lifelong Mets fan who had been recently diagnosed with cancer.

The Mets also showed their support for health care workers by organizing a “Light it Blue” night with all of their minor league affiliates, in which they turned all of their scoreboards and other lights blue for one night and put out messages of appreciation to health care workers on social media.

Once fans are safely allowed back in the stadium, the Mets should take their gratitude one step further by formally acknowledging the importance of health care workers in front of the fans. They already have numerous promotional “nights” on their usual calendars, such as Pride Night, Military Appreciation Night, and Star Wars Night. Surely they could find room in the season calendar to annually recognize the importance of medical employees and allow a stadium full of fans to give any health care workers in attendance a hearty round of applause.

These individuals also deserve additional special treatment, such as access to batting practice, signed memorabilia, and player meet-and-greets.

The Mets did have a “Nurse Appreciation Night” back in 2019, which gave nurses and their families and friends access to special discounted seats. Hopefully, Steve Cohen’s budget as Mets owner could allow for all nurses and health care professionals to get into Citi Field for free for at least one game per season going forward.

NEW YORK – APRIL 13: The cast of West Side Story perform the National Anthem before the San Diego Padres against the New York Mets during opening day at Citi Field on April 13, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. This is the first regular season MLB game being played at the new venue which replaced Shea stadium as the Mets home field. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) /

Recognizing and helping New York’s artistic community

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the areas of life most drastically affected has been the performing arts industry. Virtually all live performances in the New York theater and music circles have been shut down since March 2020. Sports are lucky that TV revenue somewhat makes up for the lost sales due to no fans in the stands, but live theater and performing groups are not so lucky.

The Cohen Foundation has funded many arts education programs, exhibitions, and arts enrichment opportunities through museum visits. In total, the Cohen Foundation has donated over $63 million to arts-related initiatives since its inception in 2001.

With the Cohens at the helm, the Mets Foundation should take advantage of their owner’s interest in the arts and support charities who contribute to the artistic community that makes New York such a vibrant place to live. Nonprofit organizations like the Queens Council for the Arts and Arts for All help bring the arts to as many people in New York City as possible, many of whom might not have access to museums and performances otherwise.

Other arts nonprofit organizations are not specifically focused on New York but provide significant relief to its many entertainers, such as The Actor’s Fund.

It may seem like performing arts and baseball are two worlds apart. However, both industries are in the business of entertaining and uplifting the general public. The Mets, under Steve Cohen’s ownership, have a unique opportunity to make their support of live entertainment in New York even stronger. By aiding nonprofits in a non-baseball sector of the entertainment business, Cohen can demonstrate that the Mets are enthusiastic about supporting other forms of entertainment in the New York area and preserving the culture of New York as a whole.

Next. How these Mets players donate their time off the field

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

All of these charitable initiatives align with what the Mets are already doing or with causes that the Cohens strongly support. Mets fans care most about the on-field product that Cohen will help put together, but they also want to feel proud of the team’s morals. With a bevy of worthy causes all around them, the Mets have no excuse not to further cement themselves as generous and thoughtful residents of Flushing, Queens.

Home / New York Mets News

The New York Mets have a respected history of charitable giving, and under Steve Cohen’s ownership, they should take these efforts to the next level.

Youth baseball games played at Citi Field

Annual “Health Care Worker Appreciation” nights at Citi Field

Recognizing and helping New York’s artistic community

Schedule