A Mets game

Question

Hi, I have a question."What are you doing tonight?""I am going to a Mets game".This sentence was told me by a native English speaker. Why "a Mets game"? There is only one Mets game that night probably. Shouldn't it be 'the'? Is it even correct English? My only explanation is that this man didn't think I knew there was a Mets game that night.

GPY · Accepted Answer

Both  "a" and "the" are possible. As you say, "a" suggests that the speaker doesn't expect you to know about the game that night. If he said "the", it may imply that he expected you to know about it already.

Morr · Answer

GPYBoth "a" and "the" are possible. As you say, "a" suggests that the speaker doesn't expect you to know about the game that night. If he said "the", it may imply that he expected you to know about it already.

Thank you, GPY.

Anonymous · Answer

In the US (the Mets are a US professional baseball team - GPY is British), only "a Mets game" can be used in this situation. There are several reasons for this:

In sports lingo in the US, phrasing and rhythm is all-important, and "a" has better rhythm than "the" here.

The Mets have a long history in NY, much of it unimpressive, and they still are treated with something less than respect, thus, "a," rather than the more respectful "the".

In the city where a team plays, the team is sometimes referred to with the indefinite, rather than the definite, article, which denotes greater familiarity (and particularly if the team has not had great success recently): "I'm going to a Bears game (in Chicago)."

Khoff · Answer

only "a Mets game" can be used in this situation

I think your absolute assertion here is entirely unwarranted. I'm sure some people would say "I'm going to the Mets' game." I think for most people the choice would be pretty random. If someone made a conscious choice, I think it would be more likely to depend on whether or not the speaker thinks the listener is aware of the game than the rhythm of the phrase or the degree of respect of familiarity the speaker has for the team.

GPY · Answer

AnonymousIn the US (the Mets are a US professional baseball team - GPY is British), only "a Mets game" can be used in this situation. There are several reasons for this:In sports lingo in the US, phrasing and rhythm is all-important, and "a" has better rhythm than "the" here.The Mets have a long history in NY, much of it unimpressive, and they still are treated with something less than respect, thus, "a," rather than the more respectful "the".In the city where a team plays, the team is sometimes referred to with the indefinite, rather than the definite, article, which denotes greater familiarity (and particularly if the team has not had great success recently): "I'm going to a Bears game (in Chicago)."

I don't agree with any of this, and I very much doubt there is any difference in this respect between US and UK usage.

A Mets game

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