In the 'Chinatown of America,' Mets reach out to new diverse fans

With the slight pinch of her fingers, Nancy Mao neatly folded pork soup dumplings before the lunchtime crowd Friday at her kiosk at the New York Food Court in Flushing.

Her family's Shanghainese food businesses, Bu YiYan — meaning "not the same" — is one of more than a dozen food vendors there. Customer favorites are Lion's head meatballs, xiao long bao soup dumplings, Mao, a native of Shanghai, said in Mandarin.

Asked about whether she follows baseball and the New York Mets, she said she really doesn't have time to. But she appreciate the Mets as there's usually an after game crowd at her small takeout spot.

New York Food Court and hundreds of other East Asian businesses are just a mile away from Citi Field, in Flushing, Queens. Along Roosevelt Avenue and all around Main Street, signage in Chinese and Korean prevail. Restaurants, hair salons, massage spas, gift shops and street vendors converge in what is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world.

It is in this backdrop that the New York Mets call their home. No other Major League baseball stadium is situated in a majority Asian neighborhood in a densely populated urban locale.

The dynamics of the diversity of Queens and an all-American sport is an opportunity for both the Mets as well as international businesses in the shadow of Citi Field. Attracting a new generation of immigrant fans could be a solution to an aging fan base. According to Morning Consult data, the game attracts a 60% white audience with a median age of 57.

Cultural days at Citi Field

At Taiwan Day at Citi Field in August, Taiwanese American fans lined up to claim their blue and orange Mets team jerseys proudly displaying Taiwan on the back. The team's marketing staff flashed welcoming signs marking Taiwan Day in neon throughout the game. Hundreds of Taiwanese attended the game, showing their cultural and Mets pride.

This is just one of several Asian and other identity days that the team hosts to attract fans. Also on the calendar to highlight the team's appreciation of the Asian American community are Japanese Heritage Night, An Evening of Chinese Culture, AAPI Heritage Night and Korean Night. The Mets also hosted Juneteenth Celebrations, Hispanic Heritage Day and Irish Heritage Night.

Attracting new and diverse fans is very important for the future of MLB, said Jane Son, the Mets' co-head of the Amazin’ Mets Foundation and Community Engagement.

"For the Mets, as residents of the most diverse borough in one of the most diverse cities in the world, we welcome all to Citi Field," Son said "It is certainly at the top of mind for us to ensure that we are supporting those in our community and creating a fun and inclusive environment for all fans to not only come and enjoy a baseball game but cheer on the Mets."

As members of the Queens community, the Foundation funds grants to various organizations in Queens and also more broadly in New York City, Son noted.

Reaching the Asian community

While the Mets extends its outreach to communities of color, there's one missing piece of the puzzle and that's representation. Asian Americans in Flushing say they would like to see more ball players that look like them.

"What we need is a Chinese Yao Ming on the Mets," said Yi Liu, 45.

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An immigrant from Hanzhou, China, Liu grew up in Flushing, but was not a fan of baseball because he wasn't exposed to the sport. Now living in Roslyn, Nassau County, Liu notes that his teen son and daughter are not baseball fans either. He thinks representation would change that.

Liu is a contractor who works with developers. Hotels are being built in Flushing to cater to sports fans, whether it's tennis or baseball. Imagine if the Mets can attract an international fan base, he mused.

"Flushing is the Chinatown of America," Liu said.

Allison Wu, 20, grew up in Bayside and works at the Korean gift shop Morning Glory in Flushing. Her Chinese immigrant family followed the Yankees, so she grew up a Yankees fan despite living near Shea Stadium. There's not a lot of understanding of the game with Chinese and Korean immigrants, she said. But having more Asian players could help, she said, recalling the great Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui who played in the early 2000s.

Representation matters

At batting practice before Friday's sold-out wild card game of over 40,000 people at Citi Field, Asian American siblings Hanna and Justin Donovan, ages 23 and 26, donned their beige brown best and cheered wildly for the San Diego Padres. Yu Darvish, the bi-racial Japanese pitcher on the Padres, will crush Mets' Max Scherzer, the siblings predicted. Indeed, Scherzer gave up seven runs in the game to Darvish's one run.

Representation matters, Hanna Donovan said. Originally from San Diego, the Donovans now live in New York City. While Hanna believes in representation, Justin said he just wants the best players on his favorite teams.

Representation in sports is important as it enables minorities to feel valued and validated. It creates an inclusive environment where everyone feels like they are part of the team.

Consider Fernadomania in Los Angeles four decades ago. Fernando Valenzuela bursted on to the Dodgers scene in 1981 as a rookie pitching phenom. That one player changed the face of the Dodgers Stadium for decades to come, transforming Latinos into baseball and Dodgers fans.

Los Angeles resident Maya Sanchez, 60, recalls how her parents called the Dodgers "Los Doyers." Her parents are immigrants from Mexico and became huge Dodgers fans during Fernandomania. She remains a Dodgers fan, following a new generation of players.

The star factor

Just as Fernando Valenzuela is a sports hero to Latinos, Los Angeles Angels' pitcher Shohei Ohtani is a hero to Japanese and Japanese Americans. Padre's Darvish is a darling in Japan as well as Japanese media showed in droves to cover his pitching match against the Mets Friday.

"Baseball is a big sport in Japan," said Yoichire Takahashi, a New York City-based journalist who works for NHK, a Japanese television network. He covered the game Friday at Citi Field, tracking Darvish, noting that the American sport is followed by fans in Japan as well as Japanese Americans.

The Mets had a few Asian players over the years, including Korean pitcher Jae Weong Seo from 2002 to 2005 and Korean pitcher Dae-Sung Koo in 2005, but none with the star power of Ohtani, who just signed a one-year, $30-million deal with Angels.

The Asian market is an untapped one for the Mets, Liu said. He thinks the team can do a better job with outreach. Instead of waiting for people to come to the stadium, have players go out to the communities at events and festivals. And do giveaways such as Mets ball caps and t-shirts.

"Asians love giveaways," Liu said. "Everyone loves giveaways."

Mary Chao is a columnist who covers the Asian communities and real estate in North Jersey. Email mchao@northjersey.com.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets Citi Field location is ideal for Asian fans