As you may have already heard, the ownership of the New York Mets have been named defendants in a lawsuit that claims they benefited upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars as result of the shady business dealings associated with Bernie Madoff. If you haven't heard the news, I won't bore you with the details, but should you want to know more you can go to the following link: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AqdArm9FIWEaEHL5_0OMAvg5nYcB?slug=ap-mets-madoff
Now, I don't know who is in the right and who is in the wrong in this case, but, at the very least, it looks like Mets management has some explaining to do. And this comes on the heels of what has been a very rough time for the US and World economies the last few years. Professional sports has not been exempted from the debate, as it seems almost everyday that someone has something new to report on the ongoing collective bargaining agreement talks in the NFL. For months now people have been debating about the greed amongst the NFL Players Association and the owners; but, if this report is to be believed, it takes pro sports and corporate greed to a whole new level.
What really makes this disappointing, however, is how the management within the Mets' organization can stare right into the face of the American public and tell such boldfaced lies. There are many fans that believe the New York Mets' are Major League Baseball's version of America's team; it has been the Mets' organization that at times has painted its crosstown rival, the New York Yankees, as the Evil Empire, if only because then owner George Steinbrenner would stop at nothing to amass the greatest team they could. They have also apologized to fans in New York and around the nation countless times in the past few years for their mediocre perfomance on the field, vowing to get better each year. Additionally, they have asked New Yorkers to take it on the chin by raising ticket prices to fund their new stadium.
That they can be so hypocritical at a time like this is astounding. Of course, Mets' management is not willing to go down without a fight, yet they might do better in the court of public opinion by admitting at least some of their wrongdoing. They say time, though, heals all wounds and in a few months this may all be forgotten. If I was a Mets season ticketholder, however, I would not be so quick to forgive.
Now, I don't know who is in the right and who is in the wrong in this case, but, at the very least, it looks like Mets management has some explaining to do. And this comes on the heels of what has been a very rough time for the US and World economies the last few years. Professional sports has not been exempted from the debate, as it seems almost everyday that someone has something new to report on the ongoing collective bargaining agreement talks in the NFL. For months now people have been debating about the greed amongst the NFL Players Association and the owners; but, if this report is to be believed, it takes pro sports and corporate greed to a whole new level.
What really makes this disappointing, however, is how the management within the Mets' organization can stare right into the face of the American public and tell such boldfaced lies. There are many fans that believe the New York Mets' are Major League Baseball's version of America's team; it has been the Mets' organization that at times has painted its crosstown rival, the New York Yankees, as the Evil Empire, if only because then owner George Steinbrenner would stop at nothing to amass the greatest team they could. They have also apologized to fans in New York and around the nation countless times in the past few years for their mediocre perfomance on the field, vowing to get better each year. Additionally, they have asked New Yorkers to take it on the chin by raising ticket prices to fund their new stadium.
That they can be so hypocritical at a time like this is astounding. Of course, Mets' management is not willing to go down without a fight, yet they might do better in the court of public opinion by admitting at least some of their wrongdoing. They say time, though, heals all wounds and in a few months this may all be forgotten. If I was a Mets season ticketholder, however, I would not be so quick to forgive.
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