Being a New York Mets fan is like being a glutton for punishment. Save for their championship seasons in 1968 and 1986, there hasn't been much joy in Metville.
This season is no different with the drubbing that the team's experienced so far. Sitting in the cellar of the National League East division, it would take divine intervention and a planetary alignment at best for even a chance at a World Series title. But getting clobbered 25-4 by the Washington Nationals at a July 30, 2018 game has left fans more dejected than ever. To take liberties with a classic movie tune, they're singing "Take me out to the bawl game."
But fear not Mets fans, help is on the way, thanks to UMA Health, which is offering free mental therapy sessions to the team's depressed fan base. The company is making licensed mental health therapists available at no cost for one session per fan. This is normally valued at $200.
The idea is a brainchild of UMA Health CEO Dave Kerpen, who feels the pain of what the team's devout followers are going through.
"As a lifelong die-hard Mets fan, I have struggled for decades with loving this team and watching while the organization makes mistake after mistake, further embarrassing the team's fans and the great city of New York," he said. "I may not have any power to improve the team, but at least now I can improve the stress and anxiety levels a bit for fellow Mets fans."
Fans can get access to the service by going to a special website where they input their name and email address. They also have to enter what their most difficult experience has been associated with the sad sack team. Once the email is sent, they'll receive a unique code that makes them eligible for the session.
Kerpen would easily acknowledge that the free sessions are a promotional gimmick and most people won't take it seriously, save for the unrepentant fan who's been obsessed with the Mets through thick and (mostly) thin. But the CEO does hint at a serious message underneath the campaign, which is designed to elevate the profile of the plight of mental illness.
According to the New York State Department of Health, one in five residents of the state has some form of mental disorder, while one in 10 will have a mental health issue severe enough to impair them in the workplace, home, and school environment. The government body also stated that mental health illness affecting its citizens is even more common than cancer.