The Knicks Versus the Spurs: A Painful American Portrait

Photo by Ian Dooley

It has been a while that we and New Yorkers had something to celebrate. There was much to celebrate even though the Knicks lost the third game. What a great sight to see three Villanova players playing for the knicks. I don’t know if it has ever happened that a college had three players on a team playing for the Championship who were from the same school. Give credit to Jay Wright, former EA parent, for teaching them what they needed to know at the next level. Jay’s expertise was in player development and making sure students graduated which doesn’t exist anymore with the move to one and done and booster money paying for the professional student athletes to go to their school.

Above it all was two teams battling it out clearly purring everything into every moment of the game. But now for what is not to be celebrated and couldn’t have been clearer to anyone watching the game.

First Trump’s narcissism couldn’t have been more clearly seen. He had a choice to make.  No other president had done that. Go to the game and require endless security which impinged on the experience for the legion of fans who were there all season. Fences were barriers to celebrations but couldn’t dampen the mood of the crowd. Trump was there for the show. H was there not to see but to be seen. He was seen stuffing pizza and French fries in his mouth. He fell asleep during the game and left early before the real excitement started on the court. It was a close game.

He still thinks New Yorkers love him. But during the National anthem when the camera focused on him for the entire crowd to see as he saluted, they booed him mercilessly. What is more disturbing was that he looked forward and smiled while his granddaughter next to him was stunned.

But what was more disturbing was when someone asked him how he felt about the crowd’s response to him; he indicated that it was “mostly positive, loud, and very enthusiastic.” He only hears what he wants to hear. He is out of touch with reality.  

William Harry McRaven, a four-star Navy admiral who once oversaw all special ops, indicated that threats will never bring about a meeting to solve the problem until Trump and Hegseth stop their over-the-top threats which leads to more mistrust by Iran and the Middle East. I have read all his books. He suggested that we should stop the threats to kill their civilization and Hegseth’s thrilled nature about how tough he wants his troops to be. Bullies never learn. And then there is Netanyahu who waits for any opportunity to do what he did in Gaza to Iran and Lebanon. He seems to not care how he impacts antisemitism in our country.

It means we must be more watchful about antisemitism in our nation.

Classism was very much in our face watching the game. Trump sat in the owner’s suite after he really wanted to be courtside. The New York City’s citizens supported the team during the bad times as well as the good times. Instead of the owner providing reasonable priced tickets for some of the people, the tickets to the game were even more than those for the Superbowl. The working-class fans didn’t have a chance of getting to see the game inside. Ethics is certainly always about money. This ticketing certainly supported that idea. Their post-game party had even denied them because of the fencing required for Trump’s security needs.

So, what a true leader did during the Knicks’ game? It is the reason that he was elected. He brough $1000 tickets for him and a few friends and stood for three hours of the Upper Level of Madison Square Garden known as the “nosebleed seats”. He stood with the common people who were the working class. Jesus said it best, “The last shall be first, and the first will be last.”

But Mandani also did something else. He worked with organizations and the police to make the fans as safe as possible including having viewing places at Central Park, the Brooklyn Bowl, and Bryant Park. I have already seen online MAGA attempting to accuse him for anything they can find.

Mandani had tight security for the game, but there were still incidents of fighting after the game.

Half of being a great leader is first showing up, but I would add it is how you show up. One is a narcissist acting out this behavior, and the other is a man of the people. That is why he was elected mayor in the first place. His presence in the nosebleed section informed the New Yorkers that they had made a fine choice.