Baker Mayfield Takes a Jab at Giants Fan Base
Baker Mayfield has already proven that he’s not like most NFL quarterbacks when it comes to the way he acts off the field.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback has engaged in a years-long feud with FS1 host Colin Cowherd, and he isn’t afraid to call out former college rivals or current NFL teammates.
So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Mayfield has gone after an opposing team’s fan base.
In an interview with ESPN, Mayfield called out New York Giants fans while talking about new teammate Odell Beckham Jr.
“[Beckahm] is here to work, and he wants to be surrounded by people who love him and support him and allow him to be himself,” Mayfield said. “He’s here to play in front of fans who actually care, who will actually show up to every game and pack the stadium and love him for who he is.”
Beckham was traded to the Browns in March one year into a five-year, $95 million contract. The Giants already have paid his $20 million signing bonus, and the Browns are only on the hook for Beckham’s annual salary going forward.
It didn’t take long for Mayfield’s quote to go viral, and Giants fans were quick to fire back at the quarterback.
Baker Mayfield taking shots at Giants fans attendance in stadiums…
Here’s what the browns stadium (FirstEnergy Stadium) looked like the last time the Giants played there.. pic.twitter.com/roaMfSUVwu
— ★ (@CardiacKembaa) July 17, 2019
Giants #4 in NFL attendance, Cleveland #18. Giants 4 rings, Cleveland ZERO. “Humble Yourself Mayfield! https://t.co/0x0dTpto1e
— charlie.dino (@CharlieDinos) July 17, 2019
#Browns Baker Mayfield: “OBJ is here to play in front of fans who actually care, who will actually show up to every game and pack the stadium and love him for who he is.”#Giants Twitter: pic.twitter.com/q1UCQjJaXA
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) July 17, 2019
It’s not clear what data Mayfield is referencing when he says that Giants fans don’t care or show up to games. The team graded out as having the NFL’s fourth-best fan base in a report composed by Emory University’s Marketing Analytics Center.
Meanwhile, the Dawg Pound graded out as being the sixth-worst fan base in the report, which takes into account fan equity, social equity and road equity.
The Browns had average home attendance last year of 65,765, good for 19th in the NFL, while the Giants were fourth at 76,940. However, Cleveland’s FirstEnergy Stadium seats just 67,895, while MetLife Stadium’s capacity is 82,500.
Mayfield’s shot at the Giants is a contrast with what Beckham himself said of leaving the team after five years. In an interview with Complex UK, the receiver cited the need to grow and be himself as to why a change was needed.
“I just felt with the Giants I was just stuck at a place that wasn’t working for me anymore,” Beckham said. “I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to reach my full potential there — mentally, physically, spiritually, everything I felt capable of doing, I just couldn’t see it happening there.
“So I think allowing me to be in an environment where I can be myself and give it a different approach, I feel like my football will benefit.”
Beckham also said that he’s happy he doesn’t have to “deal with all the other stuff and politics” that comes with playing in New York.
Unfortunately, the Browns and the Giants won’t face off until 2020 unless they meet in this season’s Super Bowl.
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