Should John Oliver let his son ditch Mets for Pete Alonso and Orioles?
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The New York Mets had a tumultuous offseason, losing key players like Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles and Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
32-time Emmy Award winner John Oliver recently spoke to Seth Meyers about how difficult it was to break the news of this transition to one of his sons.
Oliver, who supports Liverpool in the English Premier League, decided to become a fan of the New York Mets when he moved to the United States. He told Meyers that rooting for the Mets is the "right thing to do" instead of the New York Yankees.
He said he chose a team he knew would hurt him and that he has not felt disappointed in their ability to do exactly that. Acknowledging that there is a strange and absurd ethics to sports fandom, Oliver spoke to his son:
"After their third long losing streak, he turned to me and said: Are you allowed to change the team that you support? And I looked him in his eyes and said: No ... I pushed this on you. This is going to be your life. It's going to be them doing this to you forever. As long as they are a franchise, they will do this to you in different ways."
Oliver said the Mets promise you’ll marinate in disappointment. They teach you the strange varieties of loss.
He then revealed that his son's favorite player was Alonso and that the child has a signed ball from the ex-Mets first baseman.
When the comedian told his son, the child asked his father if he was certain that he can't become an Orioles fan.
Hey, @iamjohnoliver — the fam is always welcome in Birdland 🧡 pic.twitter.com/qjs6JUBanr— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) February 25, 2026
Alonso responded via the Orioles’ official social media account:
"I saw what your son had to say about being upset of me signing with the Orioles. But hey, he can always become an O's fan. I'd love to extend an invitation to you and your family to Camden for a game this year and you guys can get out on the field for batting practice and hopefully you guys come down and have some fun and I hope to see you soon."
It was an awesome and hilarious invitation delivered by the Mets all-time leader in home runs. This was charming, and I love the idea of Oliver’s son taking batting practice with the slugger. My initial reaction was conflicted. Maybe the upstart Orioles turn into a contender, which is fun. But your flawed, local team could become identity-forming.
I know that crossroads because I stood there once. I was born in Los Angeles and rooted for my hometown Los Angeles Dodgers until 1998. My favorite player was Mike Piazza and I proudly wore a Dodgers t-shirt jersey with his name on the back.
Back when Piazza was eventually traded from the Dodgers to the Mets, my Queens-born father used that opportunity to convince me to join him rooting for his preferred team. The rational choice for me would have been to stay a fan of the team that I was able to watch nearby at Dodger Stadium. But there was a persuasive and emotional hook, too.
My fandom, almost like religion or nationality, is far more about my own lineage than roster construction and who is on first.
His dad was also a New Yorker and a former Brooklyn Dodgers fan that loved traveling to Ebbets Field to watch Jackie Robinson in the 1940s and later Sandy Koufax in the 1950s.
However, when the Dodgers moved West to California, my grandparents and my father (born in 1958) adopted the Mets upon their founding in 1962. It was an easy pitch from my dad: Root for your favorite player, Piazza, and you can cheer for the same team as your dad and your grandpa. I've since moved from California to New York and I try to attend as many games as I can each year.
In terms of on-field success, my decision to listen to my dad and follow my favorite player was catastrophic. The Dodgers are now the back-to-back World Series champions and they currently have arguably the best roster ever constructed.
The Mets, meanwhile, have since underperformed so woefully that a few years ago I got a fairly large tattoo of the Mr. Met mascot crying. The tears represent catharsis and loyalty under adverse conditions like a bad loss at Citi Field.
Every time I see the Mets play against the Dodgers and watch Los Angeles emerge victorious like they did when I spent far too much on tickets during the NLCS in 2024, it reminds me what rooting for a winning franchise might have felt like.
Oliver knows that his son could have that same euphoria should the Mets ever taste the top of the mountain, especially if the family has no connection to Baltimore. Eventually, like Piazza did, Alonso will retire, and then for what reason would this New Yorker keep rooting for the Orioles?
I hope that if the Mets win a World Series, I can give a high five to Oliver and his son at the parade or Citi Field.
There is something incredibly special about rooting for the Mets, especially now that I live in New York. If or when they do eventually win, maybe the crying mascot inked on my arm will look like he is weeping tears of joy.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Should John Oliver let his son ditch Mets for Pete Alonso and Orioles?
