I never realized how fundamentally important sports were to my life, until I came to school in New York City. I have lived just south of Boston, Massachusetts in a small beach town all my life. When asked my passions or favorite things a year ago I would have said, listening to music, photography, writing and fashion. I left out something that coming to college has made me realize- I’m truly a passionate sports fan, specifically Boston sports.
NYC and New York state respectively, have their fair share of sports teams, but it seems to lack the same passion that Boston, the City of Champions possesses. I never realized how much it meant to me, until it wasn’t as in my face anymore. When the Boston Red Sox became World Series Champions in 2018, it really hit me how much it had always meant to me. Without my Dad’s consistent schedule updates, score updates, and injury reports, a piece of my heart really truly missed the hurrah of Boston Sports.
I really believe it’s a city like no other. New England is a region so invested in it’s teams, and it is unique in the sense that there is a constant camaraderie over sports. People who have never touched a football in their life share a passion for Tom Brady in Boston and all across New England. Anthems like “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, “Shipping up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys and of course “Dirty Water” by the Standells bring New Englander’s together in a unique way. There’s a different separation amongst New Yorkers, and a feeling of less sports oriented unity, given that it seems that everyone is always coming from a different place and finding their way to NYC.
My experience in New York City has been surely unique in terms of sports. Sure there are very passionate Yankees fans, but there doesn’t seem to be that same passion for the Mets. There may be some passionate Rangers fans, but its not nearly as wide spread across the city given the fact that the state has two hockey teams, and three football teams and two basketball teams. It makes it harder to find universal passion for an individual team. My social media is flooded with pictures of Tom Brady, Gronkowski, Kyrie Irving, Brad Marchand, and other New England sports icons, but I find there’s less of a passion with my friends from other places.
When the Patriots won Super Bowl LIII, Brady’s sixth Super Bowl ring, it confirmed for me how much the sport of football meant to me; this was something I hadn’t put much thought into before. In a room full of people rooting against my beloved Patriots, I cheered and yelled in ecstasy when they won.
I love New York City for everything it is, but when I’m looking to be a part of the sports hub of the US, I know that I need to return to my wholesome city of Boston.
Photo Credit: Katie Heneghan, Fenway Park, August 2018