Here’s a Q&A I conducted with Gary Palumbo on Friday. Salty Gary, as he is better known in the MMO community, is the Mets fan behind the Twitter account @MetsBillboard and the #FREEMETSFANS KickStarter Campaign to erect two “Sell the Team” billboards on Roosevelt Ave. – a stone’s throw away from Citi Field.
What inspired you to pursue your #FREEMETSFANS KickStarter campaign?
I was really inspired by the “Fire John Idzik” Jets billboard campaign. In this current age of social media, and other communication technologies, the Jets campaign proved there is still value in traditional media. If you don’t want to see something on an application like Facebook or Twitter, there are tools to block and ignore those messages. If you have eyes and are driving or riding on a train, you cannot block the billboard image. Getting a collective message from a fan base that cannot be turned off is very powerful and compelling.
Why is it important to let ownership know how most Mets fans feel about them?
No matter how fans view the team, the one thing that connects all Mets fans is that the Wilpons are poor owners whose priorities are not to construct a winning franchise, but lie mostly in real estate development.
They told us to be patient as they navigated through the entire Bernie Madoff mess. They also said they were going to rebuild the team through the farm system and when that team was ready to compete, then efforts would be made to further support the team financially at the Major League level to fill in the missing pieces.
The only effort that I see from the Wilpons is putting all their last dollars into building a shopping mall and more condos. That is what they want more than anything. The Mets are just a means to that end. As they develop Willets Point, if the team does happen to be competitive, it’s purely incidental and not part of a master plan.
I also feel that they often blame the fans for their small market payroll level. “Payroll is a function of revenue”. So since fans choose not to spend significant money on meaningless games in August and September, then it must be our fault that they don’t have the resources to make any necessary improvements. This is just infuriating to me and many others. In what industry do companies force their consumers to invest in a bad product before they release an improved version? Apparently that’s what the Wilpons want fans to do.
Are you seeing any support from some of the bigger voices in the Mets fan base who have large followings of their own?
Radio personality Mike Silva has been really supportive, but honestly, aside from MMO, all other major voices and sites have been very silent and seem to prefer not bringing any added attention to this project. Most of them are choosing to act like this campaign is non-existent. They seem afraid of being connected to it even if it was just to say they don’t support it. Many of the bigger voices all have some financial or professional connection to the Wilpons or the Mets and perhaps are fearful of angering the powers that be, lest they lose any access to the team or the compensation they receive from them. I can understand why they choose not to get involved and respect their decisions.
There seemed to be quite a stir on Twitter last week, with some well known Mets fans strongly speaking out against your efforts. Why such heated opposition?
Honestly, I would say there was only one that was well known, who is Darren Meenan from The 7 Line, the rest were just a couple of people that regularly complain about complaining Mets fans, or are supportive of ownership, or simply feel that the best course of action is to smile and be positive no matter what is happening with the team. I never expected that particular fan segment to support this, and they are in the minority anyway. So their opposition against this really didn’t bother me. Most of the support on Twitter has been fantastic and over 30 percent of what we’ve raised so far has come from our Twitter link.
As for Darren, I was really disappointed that he chose to speak out against this fan driven effort and was hoping for his support. He personally called our efforts “dumb” and then re-tweeted others that used much harsher words to put down our campaign. This is a guy that used a grassroots effort to create a “Life Style” clothing business and one of the best selling t-shirts he designed read, “Sell The Mets”. I can appreciate why he’s changed his stance and respect his concerns about backing a “Sell the Team” campaign, now that he’s negotiated a business relationship with the Wilpons to sell his t-shirts at Citi Field. But to call the effort “dumb” is what really disappointed me the most, it came off as being very hypocritical.
What do you say to those who would rather protest by not going to games?
I think those types of protests are extremely difficult to organize and implement successfully. There are 20 million people in our market that can possibly go, and you can’t reach all of them with that type of message or convince them to all stay at home. It’ll never happen.
As for me, I like going to games, I don’t want to boycott. I purchase the MLB channel to watch. I support the players and that is exactly why I want to do this.
To me it is the owners who are not supporting the players, not the fans. The fans love the team and the players. Everyone wants a competitive team and the owners are not doing anything to maximize that effort. When I see players like Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, Jenrry Mejia, and Juan Lagares perform as they did, I become frustrated that ownership hasn’t supported them by surrounding them with the missing pieces to take this team to the next level. The team still lacks the financial resources to address the shortstop position going on four years now. This is unacceptable to me.
Ultimately, what do you hope to accomplish?
The main push-back message I hear is “the Wilpons will never sell so this effort is a waste of money”. Well if this is a waste of money then we might as well stop going to fan sites like MMO or using social media altogether to voice our frustrations or discuss the changes we would like to see happen. If it’s a waste of time and money then why complain at all?
If time is money, then all the time we spend interacting on sites or social media to discuss the Mets is far more expensive than contributing a dollar toward a billboard that will deliver a much stronger message than anything we can compose on our smart phones or tablets.
If I actually thought I could remove a billionaire from Mets ownership with just a billboard I would of gladly paid for the whole thing out of my own pocket years ago. The notion that this will force the Wilpons to sell is just silly, and only a simpleton would believe that that’s what this is all about.
Right now the main goal is to convey a message that cannot be turned off. When the billboards go up, it will be picked up by the media (that has already started) and we can let everyone know that Mets fans have upheld their end of the bargain by being patient, and that now the Wilpons have to keep up their end of the bargain and invest in this team.
Do you think you’ll reach your $5,000 goal to erect these billboards?
I am positive we will reach the goal as long as we keep working hard to get the message out. We needed to raise $5,000 in 30 days and we are currently at $2,667 with two weeks to go. We need to stay positive, determined and focused and this will happen.
Is there anyone helping you to drive this promotion that you’d like to acknowledge?
There is a friend that frequents this site that has really done most of the legwork on the graphics. These graphics have really helped bring legitimacy to the effort. He will remain anonymous, but he knows he is appreciated.
I also wish to acknowledge you and the entire MMO community. Joe, you have given me a forum to promote this message and have given me some great advice all along the way. The MMO commenters here have also been extremely positive and supportive both in voice and money. I also appreciate the MMO commenters that do not support the effort because the dialog has always been civil, productive and respectful, which is more than I can say about some of the other venues. I now understand why you refer to MMO as a true Mets fan site – it truly is.
I want to thank the vast majority of Mets Twitter for helping me drive home this effort. For the most part they have been very supportive and all their RT’s and positive comments have helped popularize our Mets Billboard campaign to where it’s even been picked up and talked about on satellite radio and WFAN. As I mentioned, over 30 percent of what’s been pledged has come via Twitter. Thanks to all you tweeps.
What can other Mets fans do help to promote this besides pledging money?
Just help us spread the word. If you know any Mets fans in person, talk to them about the billboard. Let them know what we’re trying to do. Bring it up at the “water cooler” at work. The more eyes and ears that know about this campaign, the more successful it will be.
Anything else that you would like to say?
I know this campaign can be seen as a negative. I appreciate that concern and trust me I never in a million years thought that I would ever be creating something like this. I love the Mets. When they have given me joy, it just feels like magic. But right now I feel like I am being duped. I don’t like this feeling and I can’t stand giving in to apathy.
Now that the team really has something going for it and is on the verge of great things, I want the owners to know we expect them to fully support this team and to provide the flexibility for the front office to do what’s necessary to bring home another championship.
I feel that this is the right moment to speak up. When these billboards are erected our message will be seen and heard far and wide, and the Wilpons will know we are a great and passionate fan base who loves their team and demands more from them.
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We wish Gary good luck with his campaign and thank him for taking some time to respond to my questions. If you would like to learn more or find out how you can help, go to the official #FREEMETSFANS Kick Starter page or follow @MetsBillboard on Twitter.
