By: Abbi Buck

Being a collegiate basketball player, you would think my favorite sport would be basketball, and it is to an extent. It was my first love. But if I had to pick a sport that I just love watching and being around, it would have to be baseball. I loved going to my brothers’ games and cheering for them in the stands with my mom or analyzing the data with my dad. There wasn’t any pressure or expectations with baseball like there is with me and basketball. I just get to watch and enjoy it all. Most people think that I go and watch so many baseball games because of the men who play it. Well, they aren’t wrong, but that reason is way down low on the list of reasons of why I go. I love baseball because of the sounds, smells, and vibes that come along with it.

There is no stress with baseball for me. I think that’s why I love it so much. It brings me so much joy and I have so much fun watching it and cheering on either my brothers, my friends, or my favorite team, the New York Mets!

Why the Mets

How does a girl who was born and raised in the smallest town in Tennessee, and whose family has not left that town, and has only just recently kind of visited New York become a die-hard New York Mets fan? This is the question I get every time I go out in my Mets gear or talk baseball. But I guess I have my father to thank for that.

It all started with “The Kid.” Gary Carter was traded to the Mets in 1985. My dad fell in love with him because Gary was a catcher and so was my father. The next year, the Mets won the World Series. My dad was hooked and he didn’t look back, Neither have my brothers and I. Around 2013, I myself became a “for real” fan of the Mets. This was the time when I was the first one tuning in for Mets games. I was the one sending my dad stats and keeping up with scores. I was the one analyzing the players and what we had to do to get where we needed to be. It was crazy the flip that switched inside me.

My first Mets game was about 3 summers ago when they played the Braves. My entire family was dressed in Mets jerseys. We were 5 out of maybe 20 Mets fans there. Needless to say, we stood out. It was so much fun watching my favorite team play live, even if it did start raining.

Watching them play at Citi Field is something that is high on my bucket list. I can’t wait until my family and I are not the only Mets fans in the stands! (Side note: COVID-19 really kicked us, because my Mets were going to rock this year, and they still will once baseball starts back. I can feel it!)