Why It's Okay For A Yankees Fan To Root For A Mets Championship

As a life-long New York Yankees fan, I have found myself sitting on the sidelines these past few postseasons, along with the pinstripes.

I've not only been sulking and counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report, but also sitting and watching the other New York team do well.

Like, really well.

That’s right. The Bronx is sinking and the Yankees right along with it, just as the Mets are rising above all expectations.

For years, the Yankees have been the top team in New York.

The Subway Series in 2000 solidified that opinion, as the Yankees took down the Mets in the World Series.

The Yankees have always been a storied franchise, but their struggles these past few years have allowed the Mets to slowly move in to take over New York.

And let me tell you, Mets fans are loving it.

The Mets have had their fair share of losing seasons, and seeing them succeed is bittersweet.

Yes, I want to see my team go all the way more than anything.

I don’t want to watch the Mets take all the glory. The Yankees would never hear the end of it.

I think that’s the point.

Mets fans have spent years listening to Yankee fans hold their glory over their heads.

They constantly berate the Mets for being the “other” team in New York.

Well, I guess the shoe is on the other foot now.

Is it fair? No, but it kind of is.

Yankee fans, myself included, are guilty of never letting the losers live it down.

When your team is one of the most successful in sports history, that kind of thing comes easily, just like winning.

When celebrating a victory, I never thought once that I was doing it for anyone else but myself. Maybe other people do it for malicious reasons.

Maybe they do it to tear down fan bases and prove they are the best.

Well, guess what? The fans aren’t playing the game. The players are. And they are playing it for their fans, their families and themselves.

Rivalries are a funny thing.

They pit people against each other, and sometimes they take over people’s lives. They also create fierce hatred toward a certain team.

In the rivalry of New York, the Yankees have always won.

Now, it is the Mets’ turn to show the world what they’ve got up their sleeves.

Even though the disappointed taste still lingers in my mouth from a crappy season in the Bronx, I can’t help but actually want to cheer on the Mets.

I’ve been through the World Series parades and the celebrations several times, and there is no feeling like that in the world.

What is the harm in letting the Mets have a taste of victory too?

The Mets, the Cubs, the Royals, the Blue Jays — all have been in championship droughts, some more than others.

Being a fan of the Yankees is something I will always cherish, but rooting for another New York team isn’t something that lessens my dedicated fandom.

One sport, one city. We just happen to have two different teams.

No matter how much I wish the Yankees were in the position the Mets are in now, I can’t help but cheer for New York in general.

Sure, maybe I won’t hear the end of a Mets championship, but it’s nothing Mets fans haven’t experienced before from us.

Maybe it’s time to get a taste of our own medicine.

I’ll never stop being a Yankee fan, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cheer on the Mets as they embark on a quest we stole from them in 2000.

New York, New York.

This is a championship city, no matter what team gets it.