Mets fans have every right to boo Francisco Lindor and look foolish doing it

It didn’t take long for New York Mets fans to start booing Francisco Lindor. It was only natural for it to happen. A $341 million payday doesn’t come cheaply. You open yourself up to a lot of criticism every time you make a mistake.

Lindor has gotten off to a slow start with the Mets. There’s no question about it. It’s impossible to argue against this take.

What we can argue is whether or not Lindor merits boos. I don’t think he does because booing a player making an effort feels foolish to me. However, I will defend the fans’ right to boo. Being a fan is all about crossing lines, making illogical decisions with your team, and holding players to unrealistic standards.

Mets fans have the right to boo Francisco Lindor

Although I’m not a fan of the hometown boo when an effort is shown, I think every single fan that packs themselves into Citi Field has the right to voice their opinion with the ghostly sound. Fans are the reason why players get paid the big bucks. While Steve Cohen is the owner of the team, the fans are the ones truly in charge.

Over the last four-plus years, we’ve heard a lot in this country about what people do or do not have the right to. Infringing on any of these rights often brings out the worst in people. Booing Lindor this early into his tenure with the club is a bad look for those quick-to-judge fans.

Look, Lindor is going to be in New York for a really long time. You’ll be in a brand new decade of your life by the time his career wraps up—barring some kind of trade or early retirement; gasp!

The Francisco Lindor booing won’t last long

Some people may never come around to enjoying Lindor’s time with the Mets. It’s all about how much money he’s making and the extreme expectations that come with it. Adjectives like “overrated” are going to get attached to him very quickly if he’s not a perennial MVP candidate. This happens in every city with every highly-priced player that isn’t breaking records and winning championships.

In Lindor’s case, I don’t think this early disgust with his play is going to last beyond any struggles he may have. These boos are not the ruthless kind that sometimes reigns down from the stands. They’re a temporary reaction to his current performance.

These boos aren’t full of hatred. They are frustration. Mets fans don’t actually hate Lindor—at least not the reasonable ones. These boo birds are just having a little too much fun at the ballpark with a couple of brews and the bottled-up angst of not getting to express themselves at all in 2020.

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Throughout his contract with the Mets, I fully expect Lindor to get booed regularly. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it. Lindor is a professional and well aware of how poorly he has played this season. We all know those same fans booing him now will be the first to cheer when he’s having success. That’s a part of the rollercoaster of being a passionate fan. You have the right to overreact to both extremes and look inconsistent doing it.