Closing Shot
Closing Shot: Dancing On The Diamond
While traditionalists may balk, the New York Mets have taken the unconventional step of adding a dance team with the aim of boosting entertainment and attracting a younger fan base.
The Queens Crew co-ed dance team is a first for the Mets and Cadillac has come on board as presenting sponsor.new york mets
Trisha Donlin joined the New York Mets front office in September with a fresh set of eyes and a commitment to sprucing up the fan experience at Citi Field — even if that meant doing something a little unconventional.
“I knew we wanted to do more to break the mold of traditional baseball entertainment,” said Donlin, the Mets’ recently hired vice president of brand marketing who spent the previous four years leading influencer marketing for ViacomCBS. “But the next step was figuring out, tactically, what does that actually look like?”
Meet the Queens Crew. The brainchild of Donlin, the 19-person, co-ed dance team is the first of its kind for the 62-year-old franchise. Donlin enlisted a panel of dance experts in the community to help judge a January audition in the Piazza Club at Citi Field. Nearly 250 male and female dancers competed in the daylong process. The Mets brought on Gina Mormando, a Long Island-based choreographer with 20 years of experience, to lead the group.
“They’re here to uplevel the overall vibe at Citi Field this season, enabling us to engage a younger generation that’s really seeking re-imagined entertainment experiences when it comes to live sports,” Donlin said.
Approximately 10 dancers, who are treated as seasonal staff members, will perform before games and during some inning breaks each game day. Donlin, who reports to Mets CMO Andy Goldberg, described the group’s dance style as diverse as it aims to reflect Queens.
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The creation of the group also represents a new sponsorship opportunity for the Mets; the Queens Crew will be presented by Cadillac this season.
Dance and cheerleader teams are commonplace in the NBA and NFL, but much less so in MLB. The Braves, Brewers and Marlins have had dance teams, but the Astros’ Shooting Stars group, which debuted at Minute Maid Park in 2014, is the only other active group across the major leagues.
Donlin drew inspiration from all of those examples, even consulting the NBA’s Knicks and Nets about their respective dance teams.
“While people are very quick to say, ‘Baseball is this,’ and, ‘Football is this,’ and, ‘Basketball is that’ — yes, the games look completely different, but from an in-game operation and entertainment standpoint, we’re all trying to accomplish the same thing. That’s where I saw this white-space opportunity,” Donlin said.
To avoid duplicative messaging, the Mets do not have any immediate plans to create separate social accounts for their dance team. Instead, they’ll push all marketing efforts from their main Mets handles.
In response to someone who recently posted on X to question the group’s creation — “This isn’t the nba or nfl… (why is) a dance team necessary?” the person wrote — Mets owner Steve Cohen fired back: “Excellent point. I forgot how serious baseball is relative to other sports.”
“We wouldn’t be able to do this without his trust,” Donlin said of Cohen. “Taking the leap into something so new requires that trust and it speaks volumes to the way this organization is run.”
