Forget the players. Forget the standings. This is about the fans. It’s that time of year when New Yorkers come together – and get torn apart – over the love of the game and the love of their team.
The Subway Series.
Whether you are a Yankee fan or a Mets fan, you’re a proud New Yorker. But why is it that in this sport, unlike any of the other major sports, you just can’t root for the other New York team?
It’s not about the players. In fairness to the Yankees, they are only trying to achieve the same results that the Mets are – to win a Championship and be crowned leaders of the baseball world. If you really stop and think about it, are the Yankees really that bad? So A-Rod did steroids. Every team has dealt with that issue at one time or another, including the Mets. So Roger Clemens threw at Mike Piazza’s head. Not the first time we’ve seen that, won’t be the last.
It is the fans who turn the two organizations against each other, not the players. New Yorkers want nothing but the best, and that’s what we have. So then to beat the “best of the best” is the ultimate accomplishment. Bragging rights in this town are far more significant than in smaller towns. And to wipe the floor with your cross-town rivals is a huge accomplishment.
The swagger and conceit of one New York baseball team’s fans is enough on it’s own. Double that arrogance, and you’re looking at a major battle.
I do believe Yankee fans are meaner than Mets fans. For example, I received a comment on my Facebook page from a friend who is a Yankee fan. The comment stated, “Mets fans are gay.” Yankee fans like to not only attack the Mets, but their fans as well. Is that all you got? That’s something you rarely see from a Mets fan – an attack on Yankee fans. We’ll say what we have to about the Yanks themselves, but not their fans.
I once had a discussion with a co-worker, a Yankee fan, who said that Mets fans ‘settle’ for mediocrity, and that’s why Yankee fans come off as being more arrogant. Now wait just a minute. It’s perfectly normal and acceptable expect, even demand the best and to get frustrated when your team is struggling to put up wins. And in that respect, I think Mets fans and Yankee fans are alike. But that ‘holier than thou’ attitude that Yankee fans have is simply not justified by frustration and high expectations.
Now I’ll give you my opinion. It’s not that Mets fans accept mediocrity. It’s that Yankee fans are spoiled, sore-losers. We haven’t seen as many Championships in Flushing as they have in the Bronx, so we know how to handle losing better. And therefore, we’ve learned to appreciate winning better as well.
