Chris Christie joins board of New York Mets

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has joined the board of directors for the New York Mets, the team announced Friday.

Christie, a lifelong Mets fan, will become one of the team’s five directors. He is a friend of Steve Cohen, a billionaire investor who purchased the Mets in 2020 and donated to a super PAC supporting Christie’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign.

“Steve and Alex Cohen have been great friends to me and Mary Pat for years and we thank them for including me in this new challenge and opportunity,” Christie said in a statement released by the team, referring to his wife.

“As a Mets fan for the last 53 years, I am looking forward to helping Steve, Alex and the New York Mets organization bring a great experience to Mets fans and the community.”

Cohen called Christie a friend and trusted adviser “with decades of leadership experience.” Christie’s son, Andrew, is also a scouting coordinator for the Mets.

Christie served as governor of New Jersey—a state with allegiances divided among the Mets, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies—from 2010 to 2018. After running for president himself in 2016, Christie led former President Trump’s presidential transition team, though he did not join his administration.

Christie’s decades of support for the Mets did little to spare him from boos after he caught a foul ball at a Mets game in July 2017. The incident occurred just weeks after Christie was spotted with his family at a New Jersey beach that was closed to the public amid a state government shutdown.