New York: A passion pit

Times Square, Greenwich Village, a saturation of hipsters, a saturation of hustlers, the subway, Penn Station, "Seinfeld", Spike Lee courtside and the American Dream can all be used to describe the capital of the world.
A lot of nouns can help define what New York City is, but after visiting the future home of LeBron James and I, the one word that can define New York City is passion.

What I realized about Southern California after spending my undergraduate years here is that there is an abundance of fair-weather fans that have flooded this area (please note, I think Northern California has a very respectable group of diehard fans).
Have you ever been to a Lakers game? Forty seven minutes of the game is all about the sideshow that goes on courtside at the Staples Center. It seems that people go to these games to star watch or try to get noticed doing their best "Jersey Shore" impression by sporting their rhinestone Ed Hardy shirt and pair of True Religion jeans. 
     
It seems that the majority of people could care less about Kobe Bryant being the greatest player on planet earth, or about how he is putting on a historic show. The pro sporting event in Southern California has become about the status tied to being at the game because it's the thing to do, not because one appreciates a jumper or the beauty of a solid screen.
I will never forget how disappointed I was at the acquiescent environment of the Western Conference Final game I was at last year when the Lakers hosted the Denver Nuggets.
              
However, New York City is where this passion for sport lives and breathes. People wear a Mets or Yankee hat because they love their team, not because it looks phenomenal with a pair of Chuck Taylors. People go to games early and leave late, even if they are cheering for the cellar dweller New Jersey Nets. New Yorkers actually like hockey, they don't just like it when the Olympics are on. 
              
I was at a coffee shop last week in New York with my cousin who was proudly sporting his Mets fitted. A fellow supporter of The Metropolitans approached him and a 15-minute conversation about the team began. When the conversation was over, I looked down to the street only to see this buff version of Woody Allen throwing high fives to others decked out in orange and blue.
              
The emotion that was evoked during this conversation is a microcosm of the passion and commitment New Yorkers have toward their sports teams, and I look forward to being in a city where the love for the game still exists.