December 27th, 2007

How enlightening it is to know the sports world has not gone completely Bostonian. The New England Revolution lost the MLS Cup only a month ago, the Bruins appear to have a lesser chance in winning the Stanley Cup than most teams in the League do, and the weather for another thing hasn’t been spectacular there either.

From what I’ve noticed, however, Boston fans’ affiliation with local clubs is much more intense than in New York. I would imagine the fans want to see the Red Sox win more than the Yanks get shelled.

It’s troublesome, however, to go to an Islanders game where the squads fans’ care more about whether the rival team (the Rangers) loses than if the Isles win

As fans were leaving the building, chants of “Go Home Leafs” were prevalent from the faithful after an entertaining game. As soon as the fans heard about the Rangers whereabouts, however, it didn’t matter anymore what the Long Island team did. The fans seemed depressed that the Blueshirts didn’t get swept up by Eric Staal’s Hurricanes. It was almost as if the Islanders victory didn’t have as much meaning as it would have, had the other New York team lost.

It begs to question whether loyalties exist anywhere in sport. The fans, at one point, were as boisterous as people at fraternity parties when members route for their brothers to make a connection with somebody or the keg.

What’s even more of a mystery is that the noise in the Coliseum became almost intolerable when the scoreboard showed the Rangers were losing in the second period. It's understandable for a game-winning goal with 9.6 seconds left in overtime to provide exhiliration; it's not...when the intensity of the fans -- for that goal -- equals the same passion for the Rangers trailing.

There used to be a segment of class (exhibited by the fans) to cheer for one’s team rather than going to equal or greater lengths to jeer a rival (unless the game determined immediate playoff implications or if that squad knocked the fans’ team out). My suggestion: if you’re an Islanders fan, show more patronage for your team and stop worrying about the Rangers.

Yes, it’s been a while since the Isles have raised Lord Stanley’s Cup but the team has the same number of championships as the Blueshirts. The Rangers have been in existence since 1926!