Menu

The New York Sports Aristocracy: 1990 New York Giants & Plenty Of Support

This is part of a series of sports history articles celebrating the best in 1990 sports. This piece asks the question of which geographic fan base had the best year in ’90.
1990 didn’t see one city stand head-and-shoulders above the rest as America’s most livable sports city. But some were better than others.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 


For example, if you were in Cincinnati, you saw the Reds win the World Series, the Bengals win their division and reach the second of the playoffs, and if you got your NBA fix in Detroit, Chicago or Indiana, all three teams made the playoffs, the Bulls and Pistons played a seven-game Eastern Conference finals and Detroit won a second straight title. That could be one choice. But New York has a case of their own.
We have to focus on a specific segment of the New York fan base to get there. The Giants won the Super Bowl which is the main claim to fame, so it has to be someone from the  New York Fan Aristocracy—one who pulls for the Yanks, Giants and Rangers, as opposed to the Underdog New York Fan who opts for the Mets, Jets and Islanders.
The Aristocracy also saw the Rangers win their division and advance to the second round of the playoffs. The whole city united around the Knicks which had a nice season and won a playoff series over the Boston Celtics, culminating with a big win on the Garden parquet.
But we have to get more specific yet. Let’s move to the part of the city which spills into the Connecticut suburbs, as UConn basketball had its first good team of the Jim Calhoun era and reached a regional final.
And let’s narrow it down even further. Notre Dame has a huge fan base in New York City, given its ethnic Catholic population. The Irish won the Sugar Bowl.
So if you’re a member of the New York Sports Aristocracy’s Connecticut branch and are Irish Catholic, it was, as Frank Sinatra might put it, “A Very Good Year.”
Read more about the 1990 New York Giants
Read more about 1990 Notre Dame football
Read more about 1990 UConn basketball
Read more about the 1990 New York Knicks

logosnb

SportsNotebook Featured Products

View Our Complete Catalog

Shop our Catalog

The Sports Notebook Newsletter

TheSportsNotebook.com is home to an extensive archive of sports history articles along with blog posts on contemporary sports.

Shop Our Digital Catalog

History of the Final Four

NCAA Basketball

NCAA Basketball

Super Bowl Past

NFL

NFL

History of the Final Four

NCAA Basketball

NCAA Basketball

Super Bowl Past

NFL

NFL

History of the Final Four

NCAA Basketball

NCAA Basketball

Super Bowl Past

NFL

NFL

SportsNoteBook Articles

The Derailed 3-Peat Bid Of The 1974 Miami Dolphins

Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins were riding high, having won three consecutive AFC championships and two straight Super Bowl titles. But there was a lot of rockiness in the waters of South Beach, from player dissatisfaction off the field and some injuries in it. The 1974 Miami Dolphins were still very good, and it took one […]

The Repeat Super Bowl Run Of The 1973 Miami Dolphins

1972 had been a historic year, for both football in Miami, and in the NFL. The Dolphins not only won the Super Bowl in their seventh year of existence, they did with an undefeated season. The 1973 Miami Dolphins didn’t run the table, but they did win a repeat championship. And given the fact they […]

The Undefeated Season Of The 1972 Miami Dolphins

In 1970, Don Shula took over Miami’s four-year old expansion franchise and immediately put them in the playoffs. One year later, they went to a Super Bowl. The 1972 Miami Dolphins not only took the final step, they did it in historic fashion—the only undefeated season in league history that was capped off with a […]

1971 Miami Dolphins: A Breakthrough Super Bowl Trip

In their sixth year of existence, and in the second season under head coach Don Shula, the 1971 Miami Dolphins were seen as a team on the rise. Shula had put the Fish in the playoffs in his first year of 1970. Now, Miami was looking to take the next step. They did just that, […]

1970 Miami Dolphins: The Shula Era Begins

Pro football came to Miami in 1966 with the creation of the Dolphin franchise. After four losing seasons that were basically predictable, the organization hired Don Shula. Already a successful coach in Baltimore, Shula would make his legend in Miami. And he immediately turned the 1970 Miami Dolphins edition into a playoff team. The success […]

The Road To The 2011 Final Four

Even by the often-chaotic standards of college basketball in March, 2011 had some unique storylines. It isn’t often you use the seemingly contradictory phrase “repeat Cinderella”. But that’s what Butler was. It isn’t often a proud blueblood like Kentucky has to pull consecutive upsets to make the Final Four. But they did. It was—and remains—unprecedented […]

The Road To The 2010 Final Four

The national championship in 2010 came down to a battle between a Blueblood and a Cinderella. It came down to a single shot from halfcourt. In the end, there was no Cinderella ending and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski won his fourth NCAA title. Here’s a look back on the paths that Duke, along with Butler, West […]

The Road To The 2009 Final Four

The 2009 Final Four brought together three teams who had won relatively recent national championships—North Carolina in 2005, Michigan State in 2000, and UConn in 2004. They were joined by Villanova, no stranger to the winner’s circle themselves, with a historic 1985 title run. Here’s a look back at the road these teams took to […]