Here is a reminder that NYCFC broke the New York Championship drought

For some reason, New York sports media likes to forget that New York City FC, and even the rivals in New Jersey, exist.  Whether it is online, TV, the radio, or print, it is common that these teams are forgotten.  Meanwhile, if national and local media put in more effort to cover the beautiful game, and recognized clubs like NYCFC, then this could bring in more readers, listeners, and viewers.

Alas, that is not the case, and recently the local ESPN radio station, 98.7FM ESPN New York, decided that the Pigeons, and even the women’s teams of other sports, do not exist.  The station’s Twitter account put out a Tweet asking which New York area team would end the championship drought, including the local basketball, hockey, football, and baseball teams.  The tweet even included the Buffalo Bills and the New Jersey Devils.

But what drought?  Is it the 1.5 year drought since NYCFC lifted the MLS Cup trophy?  Either the station thinks that soccer is not a sport, or they just do not care at all. 

Don’t forget that NYCFC ended the New York Championship drought

Moreover, some will use the argument that NYCFC is not part of one of the major sports leagues in the United States, and might even use that to defend the station.  This argument is starting to get old though, especially as Major League Soccer continues to grow.  Yes, there are concerns about the growth with most of the league behind a paywall, but up until this year, it is argued that more fans joined every year. 

In fact, some clubs, like Atlanta United FC and the Seattle Sounders FC bring in over 30,000 fans each game.  Then, NYCFC just had a match where they had over 30,000 fans in attendance.  And if supporters are not in attendance, then they are watching the game elsewhere.     

As a result, it was not surprising that NYCFC fans commented about the tweet.  It is tiresome that everyone has to scream that MLS exists, even though the numbers show growth year in and year out.  More importantly, the league is much younger compared to the other sport leagues, especially Major League Baseball, which has been around for over a century.

And yes, even if the argument was that the ESPN station was discussing the four major sport leagues, then that argument is starting to become invalid.  Some reports, including Statista's recent one from last year, have shown that MLS has surpassed the National Hockey League.  Therefore, the argument is silly.

Overall, soccer is growing, whether it is MLS or other leagues.  Hence, New York sports media should give not just NYCFC, but soccer itself, more attention.  Now, those who already do are ahead of the game.  Those who continue to disrespect the beautiful game, and especially the local media in regards to NYCFC, will fall behind. 

Oh, and stop saying there is a drought in New York.  New York City FC ended that in 2021 when they lifted the MLS Cup trophy.