Steve Cohen is not mincing phrases in terms of New York Mets followers.
Addressing the media down in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the place the Mets maintain their spring coaching, Cohen’s pointed remarks a couple of myriad of subjects raised eyebrows. However one remark specifically may draw the ire of his membership’s loyal fan base.
“That actually bothered me, 18th in attendance once we’re proper in the course of a pennant race,” Cohen stated, through Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media. ”I’ve stated this earlier than, the collection towards the Nationals, proper earlier than the ultimate Philly collection. I feel there have been 18,000 followers within the stadium throughout an excellent pennant race.”
It is necessary to take Cohen’s statements with a grain of salt. Whereas he’s (principally) right that the Mets finished 17th in average home attendance during the 2024 season (29,484 followers per recreation), the crew was properly on its technique to the postseason by the collection he referenced in his instance.
As an alternative, it might be extra correct to say that quantity was skewed by, say, an 0-5 begin in April or failing to climb over the .500 mark earlier than June rolled round. Nonetheless, that attendance determine does stand, and it does not look nice for a crew that had the best payroll within the sport whereas enjoying within the largest metropolis within the nation.
Of be aware, the Mets completed behind groups just like the Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners in common fan attendance final season, to not point out the same old suspects just like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and others. That first group of groups ought to reinforce the purpose Cohen was making.
However is Cohen proper to name out Mets followers for not exhibiting up in 2024? It is sophisticated.
Firstly, the billionaire proprietor does not own SNY, the Mets’ TV community, which eliminates a possible income stream for Cohen. You won’t suppose that is an enormous deal, however Cohen did not make his fortune working adverse stability sheets 12 months after 12 months. Due to this fact, he depends closely on ticket gross sales to recoup a few of his funding.
No matter fan engagement, although, Cohen does make investments considerably in New York’s on-field product to a fault, as demonstrated by the historic 15-year, $765M contract he gave outfielder Juan Soto this previous winter. And that ought to imply one thing to Mets followers after years of stingy habits by the Wilpon household.
In the end, it would take a couple of magical season for Mets followers to completely purchase in, however Citi Area was electrical throughout final 12 months’s postseason, providing a glimpse of what may lie forward for New York’s attendance prospects.
