New York Knicks: Andrew Yang doesn’t deserve to be a fan

The New York Knicks are back and mayoral candidate Andrew Yang is trying to hop on the bandwagon. Riding a 9-game winning streak, sitting 4th in the Eastern Conference, the team has far surpassed their preseason expectations.

New York is an enormous city that has passionate fanbases for all of its teams. Anyone will tell you it hits different when the Knicks are doing well.

After reading Julius Randle’s Players’ Tribune article, I wrote a post about the city’s love for the game of basketball and their New York Knicks.

Being a competitive playoff team right now is only part of the excitement. The Knicks are doing this with a young team. They have a dynamic front office that has stockpiled draft picks, and they have more cap flexibility than just about any team in the league.

This is why Knicks fans are dancing in the street – The most diehard, insane (In the best way) basketball fanbase has a team that is set up for long-term success. It’s a moment New Yorkers have been dreaming about for years. It’s hard to match this kind of buzz.

New York Knicks: Andrew Yang represents the worst kind of “Fan”

There’s this weird thing now where some sports “fans” decide to switch up allegiances and become fans of different teams because of success? I never really thought of that as an option, that idea used to simply not exist. Now there are some people with bios like “Patriots, Warriors, Dodgers fan. LeBron Stan. Nets in 4.)

Just looking at global sports around the world (And in the U.S.A), you can see just how passionate different cities and regions can be about their professional sports teams. Even if your team is more often a loser than a winner, it makes the victorious moments that much sweeter.

Look at the power of large, impassioned fanbases like The Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, The New Orleans Saints, the New York Knicks – Those moments when organizations like that rise from the ashes after years of despair are unparalleled.

So then there are guys like Andrew Yang, who apparently was a Knicks fan growing up, but “Broke up” with them because of their losing ways and became a “Brooklyn Nets” fan. He very much represents this bizarre type of new fan. Here are some receipts.

So, let me say this. There are 100% true OG Nets fans from New Jersey who deserve to be happy.

The vibe from all of my born and raised Brooklyn Knicks fans (who are all born in the 1990s and have suffered through Knicks’ pain their whole lives) is this, “We’re happy Brooklyn is on the map, but obviously, we’re still Knicks fans.” The Nets have a great team, all of this is fine.

It’s the weirdos like Michael Rapaport and Andrew Yang who simply abandoned their city’s team to become Nets fans who don’t belong anywhere.

Being a bandwagon Nets fan seems pretty on brand with Andrew Yang’s “Look at me I’m a New Yorker haha Timbs and a chopped cheese am I right?” vibe. You can see some pretty cringeworthy stuff on his social media.

I’m not sure whether Andrew Yang was at the back of a Whole Foods or a Stop & Shop in this video. Make no mistake, he WILL let you know when he’s riding the subway.

The other day, Andrew Yang retweeted a recent article from The Ringer by Dan Devine titled “The Knicks are Back”. Yang tweeted the link with a thumbs-up and Statue of Liberty emoji. He was obliterated by New York basketball fans in the comment section.

Here’s the thing: Every fan is allowed to be critical of their team. Whether it’s being disapproving of ownership, coaching, or players, fans can always give their two cents. Even if your team is one of the best in the league, there will always be discussions about things that can improve.

However, you don’t simply give up on your team because they are bad. Especially a team that is so important to their city.

New York sports fans go to sleep and wake up thinking about the New York Knicks. We have been so desperate for this organization to not just make the playoffs but to be set up for years of success, and here we are. The sleeping giant that is the New York Knicks has awoken. Sorry, Andrew Yang, the bandwagon is closed.