I was born, raised and corn-fed in the small town of Southampton, New York. Since my knee-high days I’ve been a New York sports fan through and through, but the not your typical one. Thanks(or no thanks) to my mother’s Buffalo-born influence, I root for the Sabres in the NHL and the Bills in the NFL, I’ve also, unfortunately, been forced intothe fanhood of the New York Mets by my father. The only team I can proudly stand up and rep hard is the New York Knicks, but even from the ages of 10 to 18 I had a hard time saying I’m a Knicks fan without getting a laugh. But my personal fanhood, excluding the Knicks, is not why I write this.
Once I stepped onto the Boston University campus two years, a sleeping seed started to grow inside my head; I’m a New Yorker. As soon as I began the numerous encounters with Boston sports fans, I immediately realized that my whole view of the sports world was altering; I could not stand them. This wasn’t out of personal hatred or some moral indecency they might have had. It was out of a personal love for the city I had subconsciously been supporting since the day I was born: the City of New York.
New York and Boston are each other’s least favorites. The same could be said of Philadelphia and New York, but Philadelphia does not have nearly half the championship pedigree that either city has, so that rivalry simply stems out of Philly’s inferiority complex. Anyways, after growing up in the last decade I watched Boston bathe in a euphoric bath of championships and dynasties. Aside from the Red Sox, I had already grown a passionate hatred toward the Celtics and Patriots. Then once the Bruins won their Stanley Cup last year, I added the Bruins to my list. While Boston was throwing championships parades seemingly on a monthly basis New York was toiling over Carlos Beltran’s bat on the shoulder, the Yankees inability to buy championships, Isiah Thomas’s destruction of the Knicks and futility of the Jets and Giants.
By February of 2007, I found myself rooting for the Giants in their Super Bowl matchup with the Patriots, and for once in my life I heavily rooted for a team from New York not named the Bills, Sabres, Knicks or Mets. I have a distinct memory of telling the Giants fans I had watched the game with. Tom Brady had just hit Randy Moss with what was seemingly the game winning TD, and all the Giants fans around me were already throwing in the towel saying “It’s ok, it was a great run.” I responded simply, “The Giants are going to win this game.” Once Eli hit Plaxico with the actual game winning TD, I cheered like I was a Giants fan. Why? Cause it was a win for New York and a loss for Boston.
Small moments such as that have instilled a truly pro-New York stance in my mind. Don’t get me wrong though, I haven’t abandoned the Mets for the Yankees, the Bills for the Giants or the Sabres for the Rangers. I simply have gained an acceptance for those teams as representatives of who I am today, boisterous, loud and passionate. Whenever I see an opportunity to hop in on a Boston/New York sports argument, yo can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to pull every inch of spots knowledge to prove the New York fan right. When the Giants are playing the Patriots, I’m rooting for the Giants. When the Jets are playing the Patriots, I’m rooting for the Jets. Being in such a hostile sports city like Boston, I realize that all New Yorkers must band together against or rival fans, just like our sports teams do. I’ve also grasped the fact that my “defense” of other New York teams has allowed those teams to grow on me. I no longer hate the Jets, though they’re in the Bills division. I don’t despise the Yankees even though they are clearly the better franchise. I even can say I enjoy watching the Rangers because they play in the Mecca of sports, MSG.
Growing up in NYC’s summer destination, listening to all the New York reppin’ rappers, and being surrounded by Boston fans has made my appreciation for New York grow in all facets. I listen to the New York radio stations on a daily basis and read ESPNNewYork.com all day to constantly remind me that I am a New Yorker and that’s what I’ll always be. Going to school in Beantown has put me in a 24/7 N.Y. State Of Mind and I can tell you it’s always Illmatic.
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