The finances of major professional sports teams exist largely as the secrets of privately held companies, except for the community-owned Green Bay Packers, who report their profits without a hint of resistance.

But elements of the Mets’ finances have emerged publicly in the last year that show fans and potential investors how unprofitable the Mets are and also how deeply in debt the operation is.

Sports teams do not always make money, and debt is a legitimate way to fuel their growth, as it is in real estate, where Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, the Mets’ owners, made their money and reputations.

But the Mets worry Major League Baseball enough to be seen as a troubled franchise on a short tether. Their $430 million loan on the team is due in 2014. Their $25 million loan from M.L.B. is past due and repayment has been extended. They recently borrowed $40 million from Bank of America.