Anyone who’s been on social media in the last month knows who Haliey Welch is. Maybe not by that name, but by her nickname, which comes from her catchphrase/reason for her current fame: Hawk Tuah Girl. Haliey is currently enjoying her 15 minutes, which began after a video where she talked about… well, actually, you can just Google her if you really don’t know. Anyway, since she’s currently a viral sensation, the New York Mets thought she’d be a great candidate to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. This has led to a lot of backlash and outrage online, as Mets fans are upset with Hawk Tuah Girl.

Haliey Welch’s sudden celebrity status

I’m assuming we all know by now why Haliey Welch suddenly became so famous. Unlike most people you see while aimlessly scrolling through social media, she was able to capitalize on her soundbite. You can’t blame her, because the clip was used endlessly in memes and videos across the internet by everyone to get their own personal likes, clicks, and attention. Instead of just using herself as internet fodder, Haliey started selling merchandise with her catchphrase and was making thousands of dollars in no time. She created her own “personal brand,” albeit based on something that isn’t entirely politically correct. While that brand is currently at its peak, she has enjoyed the ride.

Haliey has been interviewed on numerous celebrity podcasts, performed on stage with Zach Bryan in concerts, and made plenty of (paid) public appearances. Simply put, Hawk Tuah Girl is raking in the cash and enjoying her 15 minutes. And if it keeps up, she’ll obviously take every opportunity she gets to keep doing it.

Where the anger of Mets fans comes from

Given her recent press, social media presence, and increased fan base, it was understandable that a professional sports team would want to hire her. The New York Mets happened to be the ones who were able to snag the old “Hawk Tuah” girl first. Asking her to throw out her first pitch during a day game against the A’s wouldn’t have really caused that much backlash on paper. However, we’re talking about the New York Mets here, who never seem to do anything right. So this decision has their fans feigning anger online, mainly for one of three reasons.

It is not “family friendly”

As we know, her sudden viral fame is due to her speaking out about non-family-friendly topics. WFAN’s Peter Schwartz called it “tone deaf” (in a since-deleted tweet) because it was a summer camp day at the park. The Mets, however, wisely introduced her as a “viral sensation” when she came out and ignored her nickname. As someone who went to a million Mets games as a kid, I can safely say that almost none of them paid attention to who threw out the first pitch. They were more likely face-deep in a helmet cup of soft serve ice cream.

As usual, there are a lot of people complaining online and they’ve decided to be mad because their kids *might* want to know who Welch is. Even though the likelihood of their kids asking is minimal, it’s easily explained away with “some internet person” or just “I don’t know.” With three hours of baseball coming up, the kids probably would have quickly moved on to something else and completely forgotten about it.

Welch represents the problem with social media and “fame”

Many who didn’t want their anger to be a “think of the children” moment were angry because this is representative of current pop culture standards. Most didn’t say it outright, but many implied it, like the once-popular Deadspin, who tweeted, “The girl from Hawk Tuah just threw out the first pitch at the Mets game. Society is doomed.” This is ironic because Deadspin doesn’t seem to understand that society said goodbye to them years ago. Someone else wrote, “What a morally bankrupt, corrupt culture we have become.” Unfortunately, this last account is not satire. Trust me: I had to double check. There are a number of other accounts that express the same sentiment.

The Mets need to focus on baseball

The final reason is basically that the Mets aren’t doing particularly well this year, and these outside distractions are making it even worse. Another WFAN star, Sal Licata, went on a wannabe Chris Russo-style rant about the Yankees breaking records while the Mets are running Hawk Tuah.

.@sal_licata completely loses it after seeing the “Hawk Tuah girl” throw the Mets’ ceremonial first pitch 😂 pic.twitter.com/yiqo7zVfOz

— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) 15 August 2024

If she had thrown out the actual first pitch of the game, that might make sense. In reality, every MLB club has some sort of “gimmick” for who throws out their ceremonial pregame pitch. The two have nothing to do with each other, and this is simply another case of another sportscaster trying to make a name for himself by overreacting and throwing a tantrum on the air. In his defense, most mainstream sportswriters have been able to make a living that way. I’m looking at you, Skip Bayless.

The anger of Mets fans is unnecessary and hypocritical

Although Sal nearly burst into tears during his rant, even he knows that what he’s saying has nothing to do with the Mets. During his rant, he admits that Welch has nothing to do with the product on the field, showing that he knows his anger isn’t sincere. It was simply a current viral star getting to spend a few minutes on the field and throw a meaningless pitch. It had no impact on the actual game, although for some reason Mets fans were more focused on that afterward than on a game the Mets lost by one point at home.

Those who complain about how they have to respond to their children are even more hypocritical. Take, for example, Brandon Tierney of WFAN (I’m seeing a pattern here), who tweeted:

“Hey Dad, who’s throwing out the first pitch? Is that one of the Mets’ daughters from 1986?”

“No, my son, I am Hawk Tuah. Give me a few years and I will explain it to you.”

🤣🤣🤣

Come on, Mets. Pathetic.

— Brandon Tierney (@BrandonTierney) 15 August 2024

Brandon has no problem mentioning the 1986 Mets, which shows his hypocrisy. Mets fans love to talk nostalgically about 1986, telling their kids about that dream season and its place in their hearts. What they usually don’t mention is that the Mets’ locker room looked like a scene from Scarface with all the cocaine lying around. Not to mention the booze and amphetamines galore. And then the bar fights, arrests and allegations of sexual harassment. Or the… whatever, you get the idea. In the grand scheme of things, the dark side of the Mets’ most famous team is probably a lot worse than some girl who became famous for saying “hawk tuah on that thing.” Still, they have no problem talking about them when highlights of that season are on the big screen during a game. I hope their kids don’t ask them who Lenny Dykstra or Doc Gooden are.

These guys also have to have their kids wear earmuffs the entire game because New York aren’t the nicest fans.

Let Hawk Tuah be

Most internet celebrities are just trying to exploit their fame for their own benefit. Lost in the internet whirlwind of anger was Welch’s appearance at Citi Field to raise awareness of a program that pairs dogs with war veterans. She’s actually using her 15 minutes to do some good while also living the life of a 22-year-old who rose to fame from nothing. I don’t think anyone can say they wouldn’t do the same. Much of that anger seems to stem from misplaced jealousy.

Mets fans should focus on their team right now, not who threw a pitch that probably not many people saw in person. That only leads to her getting more attention, which has the opposite effect on those who are against her overall. Let her “hawk Tuah” alone. She’s probably at minute 14 with about 27 seconds left to play. There’s absolutely no reason why she shouldn’t try to extend her time if she can, and make money in the process if people are willing to give it to her. Besides, it’s not like she threw a paper ball.

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