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Get to Know New York City’s Major Sporting Attractions
If there’s anything New Yorkers love more than bagels, it’s sports. With so many teams and events in the Big Apple, it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or simply looking for a fun outing, there’s something for everyone. Here’s a rundown of New York City’s biggest sporting attractions and what you can expect from each team.
Football – New York Giants & New York Jets
It’s a tale of two football teams in the city that never sleeps, with both the Giants and Jets calling the awe-inspiring 82,500-capacity Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford their home. The Giants have a storied history.
They claimed the Super Bowl twice in four years in 2008 and 2012, with Eli Manning inspiring the victories against Tom Brady’s New England Patriots on both occasions, the first of which usurped the Boston outfit’s hopes of completing the perfect season.
The Jets, on the other hand, are a perennial underdog with one championship to their name, a Lombardi which came way back in 1969, no less.
They were hoping that their fortunes would transform this season following the blockbuster trade of Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. The NFL odds of the Jets winning the championship this year are slashed. However, A-Rod was injured six minutes into his debut, and they are now +12500 outsiders.
Basketball – New York Knicks & Brooklyn Nets
New York City loves basketball, and two teams go head-to-head every year: the Knicks and the Nets. The Knicks play at Madison Square Garden, which is located smack dab in the middle of Manhattan and has hosted countless iconic games and events.
The team itself is known for its turbulence – they haven’t won a championship since 1973 – but die-hard fans still fill the arena regularly. Last term, they made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals before being stunned by their eighth-seeded rival Miami Heat.
The Nets, on the other hand, are a newer team that plays at the relatively new 19,000-capacity Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn. They’ve only been around since 2012, but they’ve already made a name for themselves with flashy uniforms and boast an impressive alumni including the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Ice Hockey – New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils
When it comes to ice hockey, the Big Apple is overflowing with a packed lineup of no fewer than three teams all competing in the NHL.
The Rangers boast of a passionate and dedicated fan base and they too ply their trade at MSG. The team has won four Stanley Cup titles and has some of the most celebrated players in NHL history such as Henrik Lundqvist and Mark Messier.
The Islanders play at the Nassau Coliseum and also have a rich heritage of their own lifting the giant illustrious trophy the same amount of times as their neighbours. The New Jersey Devils, on the other hand, have three Stanley Cups and play across the border at the Prudential Center in Newark.
Soccer – New York Red Bulls & New York City FC
Following the arrival of the planet’s greatest-ever soccer player, Lionel Messi, the beautiful game is on the rise once more in the Land of the Free. The Argentinian sensation will be playing his trade in Florida with Inter Miami, but don’t think that NYC doesn’t have its soccer offering for locals to feast upon. The New York Red Bulls and New York City FC both compete and while they were formed decades after their local rivals, it is the latter who has a championship to their name, lifting the MLS Cup in 2021.
The Red Bulls, who play at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, have a strong history of competing in the playoffs regularly. New York City FC play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and some of the biggest names in the sport have pulled on their now famed sky-blue jersey – an ode to the clubs partnership with English giants Manchester City – including Spanish World Cup winner David Villa and Chelsea’s Champions League winner Frank Lampard.
Baseball – New York Yankees & New York Mets
Finally, we move on to baseball, perhaps the one sport that New York City is synonymous with. The New York Yankees are the most loved and hated sports team in all of America and they have become the measuring stick of what it means to be a globally successful franchise. They ply their trade at the Yankee Stadium and have won the World Series a whopping 27 times, 16 more than their closest rivals.
The New York Mets meanwhile are the resident noisy neighbour and have only tasted Championship success twice in their history. They have lost their last two trips to the World Series and who knows when the next title will be heading to Citi Field.
