New York Mets superstar first baseman Pete Alonso was mic’d up by ESPN on Wednesday. That wasn’t the smartest move by the network.
The New York Mets are filled with loud and boisterous personalities. That happens when a team has a clubhouse of nearly entirely players in their mid-20s. ESPN should have taken that into consideration before their “mic’d up” segment on Wednesday.
They put a live mic on Pete Alonso as he played first base and it went both well and awful. Fans and the media alike thought Alonso was incredibly entertaining on the mic. On the other hand, Alonso dropped an f-bomb on live national television.
Pete Alonso dropping the F bomb on live TV. pic.twitter.com/ojNvMveHwp
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) March 4, 2020
In the video, Alonso says “If he gets over here I’m going to give him hell. Oh boy, he knows. Did you see that he just f****** smiled at me.”
For a channel that prides itself on their family-friendly sports entertainment, that’s not a good look. Honestly, it’s not all that surprising. Alonso is very much a product of his age. The 24-year-old said just a few weeks ago that he wants to be “drunk as hell” celebrating a Mets title win.
ESPN probably doesn’t love that this f-bomb went live, but it makes for great television nonetheless. The polar bear is going to gain more and more fans in New York talking like that. Take a look at New York Jets star Jamal Adams or Joe Namath. The 1986 Mets were “the bad guys.”
Being a confident and boisterous personality is nothing but great for Alonso’s public appearance in New York. Having one of the game’s most popular players brings in new fans to the Mets. New fans buy merchandise and tickets.
This is an example of how sometimes all PR is good PR.
