Tag Archives: sell the team
Two fans in our shirts got some TV time during yesterday’s WPIX Mets broadcast.
The first was the popular SELL THE TEAM shirt seated next to Kevin Burkhardt during an interview in the stands and the second was our F PHILLY shirt worn by a photographer while Hairston was doing some warm up swings.
We unloaded a ton of tees this off season. Can’t wait to see the fans decked out this year at Citi Field. LGM!
Comment
Love em or hate em every Met fan has an opinion on our teams ownership. With yesterdays settlement actually giving the Wilpons/Katz an opportunity to MAKE money off this deal it’s apparent we are stuck in this relationship. The above photo of me ran in today’s New York Times. The photo (from last season at Citi Field) really has nothing to do with the story but hey, they chose to run it and free press is the best kind.
Since I am in no way a conventional sports blogger that posts about prospects, lineups, injuries and team news I had no comment to yesterdays story. I make t-shirts and am a part of the fan base. My “opinion” about the suit wouldn’t really be of interest to anyone.
I’ve never met the Fred, Jeff or Saul and can’t say I wouldn’t like them if given the chance. One thing I do firmly believe is that as business men I do not agree with their decisions. This team would not be in the dire straights they are in if it wasn’t for the numerous bad contracts and the eventual ponzi scheme blowup.
The Reyes story is dead, and talking about it is quite frankly a waste of words. He’s gone, get over it. The majority of Mets fans would love to have him, and I believe if we had different owners he’d still be our homegrown SS. Not to mention the insane payroll cut and countless other terrible business moves over the years that they have allowed. Who can forget that Bobby Bonilla contract… yea, great deal! Time to turn the page and hope the young blood in the system are the stars of tomorrow.
What got me from yesterday was Fred saying to the Mets fans “stick with us, we’ll be there, we have done it before twice in the 33 years and we’ll do it again”. As die hard fans we’ll stick with the METS but asking the fans to “stick with” the ownership… that request is FAR gone. You’ve lost this fan base long ago Fred.
I’m a business man for the fans of the team I love. My fan interaction is crucial because I am not only trying to network together like minded individuals who love the Mets, I am also trying to make sure they feel appreciated because I am in business BECAUSE OF THEM. If I treated potential customers/fans/friends like crap who would want to buy my product? That’s a simple concept that I think some business owners fail to remember. Especially when they are millionaires. Case in point, the Mets ownership. I see myself as a fan who is rallying around the idea of this fan base staying strong…. of course while having fun and keeping a sense of humor during these hard times.
The SELL THE TEAM idea is most likely a pipe dream, but the message speaks volumes even though the odds of that actually happening are slim to none. We can support our Mets until the day we die regardless of agreeing with the teams financial business decisions. Who’s to say that new owners would be the best move? My question.. can they be much worse? I’d say probably not. The SELL THE TEAM message simply states that we don’t agree.
Today I posted this saying that I’d make 11 of them if anyone was interested. I can sell them as a pack and you’d just tell me the sizes. If anyone is interested shoot me an email by clicking the CONTACT button above. Standing in line along the Shea Bridge in the outfield would for sure draw some attention.
I love baseball and will still be at just as many games as I have in past years. The die hard Met fan is as loyal as they come. There is no such thing as a Mets bandwagon fan in 2012, and I’m excited to get to Citi Field this April just as much as I was before any other season in my 31 years of fandom. Watch THIS from SNY and tell me you don’t get excited for the season. I sure as hell do.
Keep Calm and Cheer On! LGM!
This picture means a lot to me. It was published in the Daily News and my buddy Nick (sitting next to me in his Don’t Trade Reyes t-shirt) was nice enough to contact the paper to get me a print. I never met Nick until that night but he “liked” The 7 Line page and had an extra ticket for the game. We met up outside the rotunda and I quickly realized our seats were SICK!
The 7 Line seems like a family of fans to me so it wasn’t weird at all to sit with a stranger, his brother and their friend. I had already been in some heat over my previous sign having my website address on it so I came armed with this one, without the .com… a print out of the t-shirt design. We were sitting in prime real estate and I popped up any time Reyes was at bat or walking off the field. He’d point, wave and smile. Pretty cool that he recognized and appreciated it.
Nick swung by my shop to hand deliver the print about a week later and I decided to bring it with me to a game. I can’t say who got me the signature because I’m pretty sure they went out on a limb for me, but after BP I handed it over the railing at Citi Field and the unnamed person brought it in the dugout. Reyes looked at the photo laughed and said “this guys here?” he smiled and signed it.
The Don’t Trade Reyes movement spread like wildfire and I have the press to thank for that. Daily News ran my photo so much that people were questioning if I had a friend or family member on the inside. NY1 came by the shop as well as Mets Weekly on SNY. They really gave this story legs and I sold hundreds upon hundreds of this specific Don’t Trade Reyes t-shirt.
Yes, I made money off this but it wasn’t something that was for publicity or to get my name out there. It just happened to be something I believed in and since I had an already strong fan base it took off. Fellow Mets fans around the world embraced the idea and people were buying shirts on the other side of the world who never intended to wear it to a game. Bottom line… if I didn’t own a brand I’d be showing off the same signs trying my best to get other fans behind it. I am a die hard fan and have been since birth. It’s only fitting that other fans support one of their own.
Signs started popping up EVERYWHERE. Atlanta, Texas, D.C., LA, Florida, Detroit… pretty much anywhere the Mets played on the road there was a fan with a shirt and sign. Reyes knew they were there and appreciated it.
This brand isn’t just about t-shirt sales. It’s a awesome feeling to connect with other fans who have similar feelings towards our players and organization. Sure, it’s great to profit off something you work so hard on, but there are plenty of people who’d consider themselves part of The 7 Line army without even owning a shirt. It’s a family business. When someone brings up the fan base in conversation and they ask “Hey, you know about The 7 Line?” they instantly have something in common.
Maybe you were a part of the Don’t Trade Reyes rally on the Shea Bridge this past season. If you were, you were part of history. It’s crazy that something I started 2 years ago in my basement turned into something for the record books. This isn’t me patting myself on the back, it’s just the truth. If there was a book published about Reyes, that fan movement would be part of it.. maybe not a chapter but at least a couple paragraphs.
So in the end Reyes isn’t a Met anymore. I’m sad about it, but at least I have this to remember. Nick ended up becoming a friend after that night at Citi Field and I can’t thank him enough for going out of his way to get me that picture. I’ll have it hung in my house forever.
The Mets fan base are a loyal bunch. I just wish I could say the same for ownership. You’d think I would bite my tongue about bad mouthing the organization with hopes of one day getting licensing for The 7 Line brand. To tell you the truth, I can care less… this brand is about the fans. SELL THE TEAM!
Feeling jipped because you shelled out $20 of your hard earned money on one of our Don’t Trade Reyes tees? Well, we have a solution for you.
Starting next week we are taking a page out of Foley’s play book (they are giving out a free beer in exchange for old Reyes jerseys and tees) and allowing you to trade in your old DON’T TRADE REYES t-shirt for our brand spankin’ new SELL THE TEAM t-shirt! All shirts returned will be donated to local shelters in Queens, NY. They must be in wearable condition. No holes or stains.
This will not be a straight up trade but you’ll get half off. Hey, we gotta cover some costs!
If you’re new to our brand or just lived under the Mets media rock this past baseball season, the Don’t Trade Reyes movement went global. We mailed t-shirts as far as Australia and fans were spotted at every game at home and on the road wearing them and showing off their own DON’T TRADE REYES signs.
YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IN THE PACKAGE SO WE KNOW WHERE TO SEND THE $10 REFUND! When we receive your Don’t Trade Reyes shirt we will refund you 1/2 the price of your new SELL THE TEAM t-shirt.
Steps:
1) Order your new SELL THE TEAM t-shirt.
2) On a piece of paper write down the e-mail address that is linked to your paypal account!
3) Mail back that piece of paper along with your old DON’T TRADE REYES t-shirt.
4) We’ll send you a $10 refund through paypal and mail you the new SELL THE TEAM t-shirt that you ordered.
5) Your old Don’t Trade Reyes t-shirt will be donated to a local shelter in Queens, NY.
The 7 Line
Attn: SELL THE TEAM
179-10 93rd Ave.
Jamaica, NY 11433
If you don’t have one of the Don’t Trade Reyes shirts or you do and don’t want to part with a small piece of Mets history, you can still purchase the SELL THE TEAM shirt for full price and wear it proudly!
This isn’t our Mess but we’ll stand behind it.
Now available on mens and womens tees. Super soft Next Level brand shirts with a three color print.
The fans have reached their breaking point. Not one single fan has confidence in our teams ownership.
I usually post ideas on both Twitter and Facebook to gauge fan interest and it was a unanimous decision. 100% of the fan base agrees on this one!
So far this t-shirt idea on our Facebook page has 376 likes, 78 comments and 52 shares. That is by far the most response we have gotten to any of our t-shirt designs.
This is no work of art… if I told you it took longer than 5 minutes to design, I’d be lying. It’s BOLD and to the point just like our fans.
Tagged sell the team, wilpon
