Jorge Castillo of the NY Times had an interesting piece that talks about the shrinking Mets fan presence at Citizens Bank Park.
The numbers have dropped dramatically he says, “a notable transformation from just a few years ago when the two franchises were National League contenders and the rivalry was one of the sport’s best.”
Al Gallo, who grew up a Mets fan in northern New Jersey, tries to catch as many Mets games as possible from his home in Hockessin, Dele.
“It was almost 50-50 a few years ago,” Gallo said, referring to the percentage of Mets and Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park. “There used to be a lot of Mets fans here. It’s definitely dwindled the last few years. I came here three years ago and it seemed like there was a very good number of Mets fans.”
In comparison, whenever the Phillies are in town, Philly fans are very well represented and can be seen and heard all over Citi Field. The last time they faced off it was difficult to believe the Mets were the home team.
By the way, on Wednesday, the Phillies announced their 190th consecutive sellout.
Basically, it all comes down to the product on the field. Until that gets better, Mets fans can just as easily root for the team from their living rooms where it’s cheaper.
