Together with Mets fans, we’re blazing a path to American civility

If the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign signals anything, it’s that discourse has reached a new low in America.

Upsetting to me, as a baseball fan, is how much bad behavior is alive in the stands of our stadiums. With the approach of Opening Day, I cannot help but recall the experience last year when, wearing the jersey of a rival team, I was subjected to a game’s worth of taunts.

It happened at Citi Field, where the New York Mets play, but they might have been fans anywhere. This column is a plea for mutual respect.

Born in Kansas City, I love Royals baseball. Having lived in St. Louis and Washington, D.C., I also favor the Cardinals and Nationals. Like the proud father of three children, I love them all.

When my wife and I moved to New York City nearly two years ago, I wasn’t looking to adopt another team but I listened intently to Franklin and Jeff, Mets fans at my office, describe the lore of New York’s longtime long shots.

So it was that last August, wearing a Nats jersey, a gift from friends in Washington, I faced the abuse at Citi Field. When three of four Mets batters hit homers in five minutes, my wife and I were swept up in the joy of the hometown fans.

We joined in applauding the incredible performance, albeit of our rivals, but one Mets fan in our upper deck row, his face taut and angry, stood and gave us two thumbs down. Would it not have been better to smile and shrug as if to say he sympathized?

The stadium repeatedly chanted “Jay-son Werth-less” when Werth, an injury-ridden Nationals outfielder, stepped up to the plate, and people shouted “Over-rated” to greet slugger Bryce Harper, the National League’s Most Valuable Player.

When the Nats lost, enabling the Mets to tie them for first place in their division, the fans were sore winners. “Say goodbye to first place,” one shouted as we left.

The insults on the subway ride home were so awful that one couple apologized. When I asked whether the Mets organization was concerned about fan behavior, they wrote: “Providing a safe and enjoyable environment for all fans that attend games at Citi Field is a top priority.”

My wife swore never to return.

A week after that bitter experience, I booked a flight to Kansas City for the World Series 10 weeks away. I phoned to ask my brother Sam and sister-in-law Roberta to take me in.

Call it a hunch. If there was to be a Royals-Mets showdown, I wanted to watch with family back home. October came, and my gamble paid off.

I made token bets with Franklin and Jeff. We agreed the victor, not the loser, would pay up. While we might not change political discourse overnight, together we could take a small step to bolster decorum among fans.

If the Royals won, I would give each a bottle of KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce. If the Mets won, Franklin promised a beverage from Gray’s Papaya, and Jeff pledged a chocolate egg cream, both New York specialty drinks. My Royals took the Series, and my friends got the sauce. It was a win-win.

In a stroke of scheduling genius, the Royals host the Mets on Opening Day. Obligations in New York will keep me away. But I plan to be at Citi Field, wearing my Royals pale blue T-shirt, when the Mets host Kansas City in June.

I hope to sit among friendly Mets fans. I wonder what Franklin and Jeff are doing then.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Together with Mets fans, we’re blazing a path to American civility."