Similar team

Oct 24, 20242 min read

DAN CEARNS The Standard

With the Toronto Blue Jays having been out of the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs this year, I’ve found another team I can relate to and cheer for through this playoff run: the New York Mets.

Surprisingly, the Mets' fanbase share some things in common with those of the hockey team I cheer for; the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I’m sure, by now, most fans know the age-old fact, the Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967. The Mets, on the other hand, have not won a World Series title since 1986. That is seven years before the Blue Jays won their last World Series title. If the Mets could overcome that record this year, ending a decades long championship drought, it would give some hope, long championship gaps can actually be overcome.

Of course, the Mets also share a similarity with Toronto, in being in a major market for their sport. The Leafs are affectionately regarded as being in the “centre of the hockey universe.” This is because of how much their brand reaches, not just in Ontario but, around the world. Their logo can be found on products in Canada and in other countries as well. The Mets also share a state with one of the most well known franchises in all of baseball, the New York Yankees. They work in a market which features teams like the Rangers and Islanders in hockey and the Giants and Jets in football.

One more thing which makes me feel like I can connect to the Mets is the way their yearly story unfolds. There have been dramatic losses which have forced them to miss the playoffs. They’ve lost in the World Series, in 2015, only to then miss the playoffs in future years. Prior to this year, they struggled to win the playoff series, just like the Jays and Leafs. The Leafs, of course, have had crushing defeats in playoffs past, 2013 against the Bruins being a good example.

To me, the Mets are that underdog team, the kind of team which has the odds stacked against them which makes it easy to root for their success. I haven’t stopped being a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays, but I have found a team which I can cheer on, until the Jays return to action next year.