The Mets have not had much luck with fan loyalty pledges. Twitter hashtags driven by maligned public entities tend to backfire.

When you put them together, as the Mets did Monday with the advent of #ImAMetsFanBecause, you get an almost inevitable stream of mockery and self-pity from a fan base steeped in second-banana neuroses that has not seen a winning team since 2008 or a World Series title since 1986.

The social media plan was part of a giveaway to win tickets to a game. Unfortunately, most of the people who responded might not have any interest in going to one soon. Fans, and likely a few Mets haters as well, got so carried away that it became one of the top 10 trending hashtags on Twitter.

If you’re laughing by now, or crying, how about a nice, earnest response, in the spirit in which the hashtag was intended?