A People’s History of the Mets: Urban Planning, Labor, and Radical Politics with A.M. Gittlitz

Why are the New York Mets the ultimate team of the working-class underworld? Author A.M. Gittlitz joins the channel to discuss his new book, Metropolitans, and pitch why leftists should actually care about sports.In this episode, we dive deep into the Mobius strip dynamic of sports, mass culture, and radical politics. Far from just a corporate monopoly, baseball has a long history as a battleground for popular power and control over our collective leisure time. We trace the lineage of the Mets from their 19th-century amateur roots through the turbulent 1960s, exploring how the team became an anti-elitist symbol coded in direct opposition to the financial elites of the New York Yankees.We also unpack the dark side of New York’s urban planning. Discover how "Master Builder" Robert Moses manipulated transit infrastructure around Shea Stadium to intentionally cut off public access from marginalized communities—shaping the geography of fandom we still inherit today. Whether you're a die-hard Mets fan or a Marxist skeptic of mass sports, this conversation breaks down the beautiful contradictions of a middle-class game captured by billionairesSend us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian, Drea, Free Beer