Change is coming…
The stat that I have been seeing everywhere the last 24 hours hits right at what defines me as a sports fan. It has been over 5,000 days since a New York team has won a championship in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL. New York is a great sports city, with passionate and smart fans that show up for their team’s day in and day out, no matter how the season is going. The pressure is high, but if you win in New York, there is no better place to play and experience winning. Players who win in New York become legends.
That stat paints the picture that it’s rough to be a New York sports fan, and sure, there have been better and more successful stretches for New York sports. But, it is a super exciting time to be a New York sports fan, despite what people may think. The Yankees were just eliminated from the playoffs, but they are perennially World Series contenders, and when you have one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen in Aaron Judge, every game and every season takes on meaning in a way few teams across the MLB can rival. The Giants seem to finally be getting back on track after 10+ seasons of wandering into an abyss, cycling through coaches, general managers, and jettisoning quality players who would go on to success elsewhere. However, Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo and a loaded defense just took down the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Giants are COOL. For years, they have been a laughingstock that has been fodder for countless internet memes and us fans have been put through hell watching them every single Sunday. But they are playing with swagger. People love Jaxson Dart. People love Cam Skattebo. The future is bright, and it is once again cool to be a Giants fan. And the New York Knickerbockers play basketball in a week. They enter the 2025-2026 NBA season poised to compete for an NBA title, and while this is the second year in a row, that still blows my mind. As a Knicks fan born in 1999, all I knew was dysfunction, chaos, and losing until Leon Rose took over. He led the charge in changing the stigma around the franchise. The Knicks now have a nucleus that is among the best in the league and should contend for years to come. Basketball season is around the corner, and I am itching to watch hoops. Normally that’s the case because football has been dreadful, but excitement is everywhere, and I cannot wait. I’m proud to be from New York, and a fan of the Yankees, Giants, and Knicks. I’m ready for my own version of some of the golden eras of New York sports I’ve heard many talk about. It’s time. - AC
The Beginning
It all begins with an idea.
To quote the legendary sportscaster Jim Nantz, “Hello friends.” Welcome to the ESB Sports blog, short for Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Sports. The idea for ESB sports has been living within me my whole life but truly began to take shape in my brain sometime in 2022. I would daydream about the possibilities of what it could become. The image and form of it evolved and changed over time, and what you see now isn’t what I imagined. But that is because I was able to land a job in sports media, meaning I did not need to pursue ESB Sports as a side hustle along with my 9-5 to break in. So, after a near launch in January of this year, and then some time on the shelf, why did I decide to bring this idea back to life? The real answer is a little complicated. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE my job. It is everything I ever imagined it would be, plus some more. I still pinch myself every day over the fact I get to wake up and get paid to work, talk about, and be involved in sports. However, as a producer, I still have this creative itch that isn’t getting 100% scratched, and for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been unable to shake the notion I should revive ESB Sports. I never thought I would say this after completing my Master’s in Sports Journalism, but I do miss writing. So, as of right now, that is the tentative plan for this, to be some sort of blog where I just spew thoughts about sports, my career journey, the Knicks, the Giants, the Yankees – who knows! In time, it could grow and lead to other forms of content, or it could prove to be too much. The only plan right now is that there is no plan, and for someone like me, there is something freeing about that. For months and years, I stressed over what this would look like and what the plan would be, or how I’d get people to read/watch, or what my niche would be. With no pressure to use this as a vessel to jumpstart my career, I feel like a weight is off my shoulders and I can just create what I want, when I want and hopefully someone enjoys it. If not, I’m having fun writing this right now, so I know at least I’ll get enjoyment out of it. October (best sports month of the year?) is in full swing, and there will be plenty to talk about. I don’t know when I’ll be back or when the next post will be but thank you for taking the time to read this and join me on this journey. - AC