Remembering Mets History (1963) Mets Start the Tradition of Banner Day

Sunday September 15th, 1963: As the expansion New York Mets started gathering a fan base, they began to come up with unique ideas to root on their team. 

The early Mets teams were not good ball clubs on the playing field, barely able to compete, but the fans still loved them. Many of these fans were old National League New York Giants & Brooklyn Dodger fans. In 1958 the two teams had left New York for the west coast.

Other Mets fans were a new breed of Young New Yorkers getting ready to let loose in what was to be the swinging sixties. One of the young Mets fans popular things to do was to express themselves with banners or "Plaquards" as Manger Casey Stengel called them. Soon banners were seen all around the Mets first ballpark, the Polo Grounds.

But at the time, Mets President George Weiss banned the banners at the games, claiming they were blocking the view for other fans sitting in their seats. The controversy began as Mets fans blasted the team management for taking away their banners.

The negative press didn't sit well, especially for a bad ball club just starting out in the largest city in the world. 

A solution was made to have an official Banner Day, where a parade of banners would be allowed on the field in between Sunday double headers. Judges would decide which the best banners were & prizes were given.

On September 15th, 1963, at the Polo Grounds, the Mets held their first banner day in between a twin bill loss to the Houston Colt 45's. The winning banner that day read "This sign is in Favor of the Mets"!

Banner Day was to become one of the most popular Mets promotional days through the sixties at the new Shea Stadium. The tradition lasted right on through the seventies, eighties & into the mid-nineties. 

In 1996 the last banner day was held at Shea Stadium. The event went on hiatus for 16 years until 2012 when due to popular demand the first Banner Day was held at Citi Field .