In a city that is overflowing with all sorts of people from all over the world, one might wonder just how the greater New York City community is able to come together on an everyday basis. The answer is simple: sports, and in particular, professional sports! There is no other city in the United States that has as many professional sports teams as the greater New York City area, and as a result, anyone who visits New York City almost certainly learns about the amazing history of New York City professional sports. Here we’ll go over all of the various sports teams here in New York City that are part of the “Big Four” sports – MLB (baseball), NFL (football), NBA (basketball) and NHL (hockey).
Anyone who follows baseball in general is almost certain to know about the New York Yankees, the pride and joy of New York City sports overall. Their iconic player Derek Jeter was a generational shortstop that led the team to numerous titles over the years. But perhaps surprisingly, it is the New York Mets who actually were the last New York City team to make it to the World Series (unfortunately they lost, but they will have another shot to win it all in the near future, I’m certain of it).
When it comes to football, the New York Giants are famous for beating the New England Patriots twice in the Super Bowl, both times being considered the underdog. Their first win over New England was particularly historic as they kept New England from being the first team to have a perfect 19-0 season. Eli Manning is often just known as the younger brother of the inarguably more talented Peyton Manning, but he is a legend in New York for bringing those two Super Bowls to the city. The New York Jets on the other hand are much less renowned, especially as of late, but they were famous for beating the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III as an underdog as well (led by Hall-of-Fame quarterback Joe Namath).
Basketball has been somewhat underwhelming for both the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets as of late, but both teams have had their moments. The Knicks were led by Carmelo Anthony for many years, and the Nets, while having arguably less star power during Carmelo’s run with the Knicks, made a splash in 2019 free agency, netting both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They very well could be favorites to win an NBA championship in the next few years (although probably not next year since Kevin Durant will be recovering from an Achilles tear).
And to round out the Big Four of Sports, we have hockey. Although New York has not won much in this sport as of late, the Islanders were definitely a surprise last season by nabbing a playoff sport and sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins (before ultimately getting swept by the Carolina Hurricanes). They are undoubtedly looking up, as are the Rangers, if only by virtue of them being near the bottom of the league and thus inevitably have no were else to go but up.
With two professional sports teams for each of the big four sports, there is certainly no shortage of great sports in New York City. And when those sports teams all have storied histories, impressive presents, or exciting futures, it is no wonder why sports dominate much of the New York City culture, and inevitably the rest of the world!