Many Mets fans are hopping mad about the ownership of the iconic New York baseball team, and are expressing their outrage by erecting billboards that say Fred, Jeff & Saul, Ya Gotta Leave, ” as reported by rep-am, and another one that states simply, “Sell the team, ” with a an angry baseball head caricature that looks uncannily similar to the team mascot, Mr. Met, as reported by ESPN.
The billboards were conspicuously displayed ahead of Monday’s home opening at Citi field. Fans going to the game could not miss the billboards, located just outside of the stadium. “Ya gotta leave” is a reference to the team’s 1973 motto, “Ya gotta believe” coined by Tug McGraw when the Mets won that year’s NL pennant.
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In more recent times, the team has had a less than stellar record under the ownership of Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz. The fans were asked for patience and understanding after the owners lost a bundle in the infamous Madoff Ponzi scheme, but the patience hasn’t paid off, and fans don’t think the owners are investing enough in the team to produce wins.
The campaign began as irate Mets fan Gary Palumbo raised $6, 700 on Kickstarter to fund the billboards. Palumbo said the owners are not doing their job and should sell the team to other owners. Palumbo told the Associated Press, “Most Mets fans really dislike the Wilpons and don’t think they are capable of running a team in New York properly. I completely appreciate the fact that (the billboard) won’t convince them to sell their team, but I hope it will put pressure.”
