John Oliver Has the Correct Take on Being a Mets Fan

I’ve loved the Texas Rangers ever since I saw them play in 1993. Neither snow, nor sleet, nor rain would keep me from loving that team, even if they’ve been predominantly awful. I came close to switching teams in my late teens, but it seemed too cowardly to make good on. Instead, I held strong and watched them lose the World Series two years in a row. But I persisted. Then, over a decade later, they finally won the Series, and followed it up with two dreadful, losing seasons. Still, I wear my (many) hats proudly, and my children will too.

I gave my twin sons their first Rangers hats for Christmas in 2022. Less than a year later, the team did what I often thought would be impossible. My kids didn’t know it at the time, but I’ve made it clear to them that when they joined the fandom (through my insistence), it was the special ingredient that led us to a championship. So, like, they have to stay that way, right? To John Oliver and me, you don’t abandon a sports team even if they are bad and forced upon you by your father.

That’s what the Last Week Tonight host discussed when he recently appeared on an episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers. Oliver adopted the New York Mets as his favorite baseball team when he moved here, and it has been a torturous experience ever since. His son also likes the team and, after seeing them have a string of bad games, asked his father if it was okay to switch teams. Oliver, correctly, said no. Even when his son’s favorite player (Pete Alonso) signed with another team, he was not allowed to go with him.

That last part hits extra hard in the Sanford household because Adolis Garcia, a Texas Rangers World Series hero, threw my sons and me a ball when I took them to their first Rangers game last year. It is sitting on our bookshelf, even though Garcia was not resigned by the Rangers in the off-season. My kids are just old enough that they understand what that means, but it luckily didn’t make them want to turn into Phillies fans (no offense). But the Rangers play the Phillies (and Garcia) on Opening Day, which is also my kids’s birthday, so… we’ll see.

At the end of the day, I treat my kids’ baseball fandom like I do their gender. They are Rangers fans until they tell me otherwise, and I will support whatever changes they make. If they do jump ship, I’d be okay if they become Mets fans. I’ve always found kindred spirits in those fans and have had many great baseball conversations with them during my time as a Rangers fan in NYC. If they become Yankees or Red Sox fans, then I will probably need to go to therapy. I’ll still be supportive! But it will be… significantly more difficult.