In the New York City Area, very few things are bigger than New York sports. The heartbreak and ecstasy of being a New York sports fan is the best in the world and the most unique. We hate each other, but unite against a common foe (I’m looking at you Philly and Boston), and we have plenty of passion and spirit. We also have 20 more championships than the number two city, and half of its championships are basketball. Here are a few things that we love and love to hate:
The Subway Series
The Subway Series is the greatest same-city rivalry in professional sports (*tips cap to USC-UCLA*). No matter who is better or who is worse the games are always fun, competitive, sold out, and the cause of many arguments. The Bleacher Creature and the 7 Line Army add to the excitement and between shared players and a shared World Series this rivalry lives on and always will.
The Canyon of Heroes
Since the first parade dedicated to that large lady that stands in the water, the Canyon of Heroes has evolved into a hallowed ground that New York and American athletes dream of traveling down. The Canyon hasn’t been used too much as of late (five times since 2000), which hopefully the Mets or Rangers can change this year.
Boston
Yuck! You have four teams in your city and we hate them all. I am neither a Giants nor Jets fan and I still hate that cheating football team which has claimed all of New England rather than listing Boston as its home (because honestly who would want to do that). The Celtics are the enemy and the Bruins and that big lug Chara are despised. The Red Sox and Mets fans get along because we shared a mutual hatred of the Yankees, but the Yankees and Sox are a top five rivalry in the country.
Oh and P.S. your “Garden” will never be MSG. Never ever.
Madison Square Garden
Speaking of The World’s Greatest Arena, no city has a sports Mecca quite like The Garden. Sure there are other nice stadiums and arenas, but none have MSG’s resume. The first North American artificial ice rink, the first WrestleMania, simultaneously hosting the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals TWICE, JFK’s birthday party, five national conventions (four Dem and one GOP) are just some of the extraordinary things that MSG has done. Oh, there are also three MSG television channels.
Philadelphia
Gross! Even worse than Boston is the city to the south. Yankees and Mets fans can finally agree on something, and that is hating the Philadelphia Phillies. Also, what even is their mascot? Honestly. The 76ers are consistently the worst team in basketball and their fans constantly say that they’re better than the Knicks. The Flyers are just not good and Eagles fans are pretty scary people. There is no brotherly love to be found at an Eagles game. Again, I am neither a Giants nor Jets fan, but I enjoy seeing the Eagles lose. It’s just that whole city, terrible.
The Rivalries
The Subway Series got its own section (yes, it’s that important), but the rest of the rivalries are still awesome to watch. Rangers-Devils fills up the Rock and electrifies the Garden (which is always full) and Knicks-Nets comes with plenty of animosity (that was for you Clyde). Giants-Jets is a double home game that we all love to watch, even if we have an out of town football team.
The Capital(s) of the Nation(als) and Baltimore
Since two cities wasn’t enough for our nine (yes, nine) sports teams to hate, we have recently added another set. The Rangers and the Capitals do not get along, and neither do their fans. There is no love lost between the Mets and Nationals either. Yankees and O’s fans have been in one long argument since the Jeffrey Maier incident (you’re not a real fan of either team if you don’t know what I’m talking about) in 1996. The Ravens have avoided this rivalry being in the AFC North, but those Skins and Giants love to duke it out.
Love, Passion, Uniqueness, and History
We sing “Meet the Mets” and the Rangers goal song. We love Spike Lee and no matter what city the Knicks are playing in there are always fans. The Yankees fans give a role call in the first. Orange and Blue look oh so great together and pinstripes will never be out of style. The year 1969 saw three teams win championships. Homegrown heroes include Bernard King, Lou Gehrig, Dr. J, Ed “Whitey” Ford, Melo, Phil Rizzuto, and more. We love our teams and we love our heroes. It doesn’t get better than sports in New York.
