Question: Who is currently the best team in New York City? Answer: That’s a trick question.
In the four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL), fans of the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area teams have seen one failure after another in recent history. While they are fans no other city can dream of having, these failures by all metropolitan teams are never tolerated. And considering there are nine professional teams in the area, it’s truly amazing that all nine sit in mediocrity. No New York sports fan can remember the day that it’s been this bad.
Shockingly, both New York baseball teams and football teams missed out on the playoffs in their past respective seasons. The five combined hockey and basketball teams in the city are also under performing to expectations. Two bright spots recently have been the Brooklyn Nets who have won 10 of their last 11 games and the New York Rangers who are creeping up the standings. However, despite those two glimmers of hope, the New York City sports scene is still stuck in an unfamiliar and depressing state. Oh yeah, and the Boston Red Sox won the 2013 World Series.
Sunday, January 26, 2014, the captain took center stage in Yankee Stadium. Not #2, but New York Rangers Captain #24 Ryan Callahan took to the open air ice with his team. They faced off against another of those metropolitan teams, the New Jersey Devils, in the National Hockey League’s “Stadium Series.” It turned out to be another fantastic success for the league and for the Rangers as they defeated the Devils, 7-3. With the “Stadium Series,” the NHL has expanded with their outdoor spectacle that started with the “Winter Classic” in 2008, NHL.com.
Two days prior to the Rangers/Devils game, the New York Knicks squared off against the Charlotte Bobcats in Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have been NYC’s biggest disappointment thus far in the calendar year. However on this magnificent night, Knicks Forward Carmelo Anthony might have woken up the city. He broke the Knicks single game scoring record with a ridiculous 62 points, surpassing Bernard King’s 60 in 1984, CBSSports. A few descriptions that could describe the Knicks this season have been heartless, gutless, lazy and un-inspired. What New Yorkers can’t stand most are labels like that as they truly appreciate a hard working, blue collared team. This was truly the first sign of life for the Knicks and NYC sports in recent memory.
New York City has had plenty to discuss. Melo poured in 62 points for a new Knicks record. The Rangers and Devils played game one of the “Stadium Series” yesterday, while the Rangers and New York Islanders will play game two on Wednesday. And finally Super Bowl XLVIII will be played on Sunday, February 2nd to cap off an incredible 10 days for the Metropolitan area.
Many times in the history of this great city a player will attribute a great moment or great team to inspiration. They would express how the great fans of New York City lifted their team to victory, and how the team found something from within to give them that little extra something which made them champions.
The question is: Could this be the start of something new and refreshing to New York sports fans? Can their teams finally rise up with inspiration attributed to these huge events surrounding them? Or will New York only continue to be the city that hosts spectacular events with mediocre teams to call their own?