Sports in New York City
Sports in New York City
Although American football has become the most popular professional sport in most of the USA, in New York City, baseball arguably still stirs the most passion and interest.
New York has a long and distinguished sports history: Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1913 until 1957, was torn down in 1960, and the Polo Grounds in northern Harlem, just across the river from the Bronx’s Yankee Stadium, was the home of the New York Giants of Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1957 (and the first home of the New York Mets) before being demolished in 1964. Also, many outsiders are unaware that the current Madison Square Garden is actually the fourth separate building to use that name; the first two were near Madison Square, hence the name, and the third was at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue.
Immigrants have always influenced sports in New York. Stickball, a street version of baseball, first became popular in the city’s Italian and Irish neighborhoods. The popularity of cricket and soccer are growing with immigration from British Commonwealth countries. The first children’s Junior Cricket League in the United States opened in Brooklyn in 2004, bringing the number of cricket leagues in the city to seven.
New York City was also the host of parts of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and the 1998 Goodwill Games. In 2005, it bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, but lost to London. A bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics appears possible.
Professional sports
The New York metropolitan area is the only one in the United States with more than one team in each fudi the four major sports, with nine such franchises.
Baseball
A “Subway Series” between city teams is a time of great excitement, and any World Series championship by either the New York Yankees or the New York Mets is considered to be worthy of the highest celebration, including a ticker-tape parade for the victorious team. For most American baseball fans, the most intense rivalry is between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, but in the city the rivalry between the Yankees and the Mets is almost as fierce.srt Outsiders are frequently unaware that few baseball fans in New York are fans of both teams at once.
There have been 14 Subway Series match-ups between the Yankees and their National League rivals; the Mets (once), and with the two teams that departed for California - the New York Giants (7 times) and Brooklyn Dodgers (6 times).
New York City is also home to two minor league baseball teams that play in the short-season Class A New York - Penn League. The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Mets affiliate, and the Staten Island Yankees are affiliated with the Yankees.
Basketball
At Madison Square Garden, ‘the world’s most famous arena,’ New Yorkers can see the New York Knicks play NBA basketball, the New York Liberty play in the WNBA. Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands is home to the New Jersey Nets NBA basketball team, soon to become the Brooklyn Nets.
Football
For football in the New York City Area, is the New York Giants who were the 2005 NFC East Division Champs, and the New York Jets , despite their names they play in the Meadowlands in New Jersey (part of the New York Metropolitan Area) across the Hudson from Manhattan.The Giants used to play in Yankee stadium and the Jets in Shea stadium until the opening of Giant Stadium.
New York’s NFL teams, the New York Giants and New York Jets, play at Giants Stadium in New Jersey’s Meadowlands. Nassau Coliseum is the home of the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League.
Hockey
Ice Hockey also has some popularity in the city, and is home to the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. The Rangers are well-known for being one of the Original Six — a term given to the first six NHL teams in existence. The NHL’s league office is also located in New York City.
The New Jersey Devils NHL hockey team plays in the Meadowlands. The New York Islanders are the third NHL team in the Metro area; they play their home games in Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. All 3 teams are in the same division, making them bitter rivals of each other and games between local teams almost always sell out.
Soccer
New York metro professional soccer is played in New Jersey’s Meadowlands. The team is the Major League Soccer’s Red Bull New York.
Horse racing
Aqueduct Racetrack and Belmont Park feature horse racing all months of the year except August.
Current issues
All 9 major sports franchises play in buildings that will either be replaced or refurbished in the next few years, but these plans are subject to change
New Jersey Nets: Moving to a new arena in Brooklyn, slated for 2008.
New York Jets and New York Giants: After a proposal to build a stadium on the West Side of Manhattan, as part of the City’s bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics (which eventually went to London), and aborted attempts to find another suitable home in places such as Flushing Meadows, the Jets and Giants have joined forces to build a new stadium to host both teams on the site of their current home, the Meadowlands. That agreement, however, is in jeopardy, over whether or not to build a retractable roof on the new stadium. The state, which is providing funding for the project, favors a roof, citing it would help bring big events (ie the Super Bowl, Final Four, winter concerts, etc) and additional financial windfall. The Giants, and to a lesser extent, the Jets, do not want a roof, fearing that NFL rules regarding a stadium with a retractable roof will eliminate a significant home field advantage, eliminating late season weather conditions as an obstacle for the visitor. The Giants say they will walk away from the project rather than build the stadium with a roof. Scheduled to be completed in 2010.
New York Yankees: Replacing historic Yankee Stadium with a New Yankee Stadium, scheduled to be completed in 2009.
New York Mets: Replacing aging Shea Stadium with a New Mets Stadium, also scheduled to open in 2009.
New York Islanders: Rebuilding the Nassau Coliseum, as well as developing much of the land around it. Planned for 2009, but delays in the bidding process makes that date seem unlikely.
New Jersey Devils: Moving to a new arena in Newark, construction has already begun, scheduled for 2008.
New York Rangers and New York Knicks: Plans have been made to refurbish or rebuild Madison Square Garden for the 5th time.