The Mecca of NYC Culture, American History, and Basketball

With every portion of entertainment in life, there is always more to seek from your surroundings. As culture shifts, and influences others, there is always a clear and coherent ground in which it is born. Even in this past century, and the decades that we have more personally been influenced by, they all have a common thread. At the forefront of competitive zeitgeists, and continued excellence, New York City stands as a microcosm for the lessons we should learn from our past to gain more in our collective futures. When you think about New York City, you may think about the bright lights, or the competitive atmosphere. I think of the structures or narratives of entertainment that have been created, and branched out to create so much more than just a concept, they also define them. These are ideas, and activities that were born in the heart of the city that have encapsulated the struggles of the many, and are also for anyone seeking more out of life. Examples of this include hip-hop, fashion, and even basketball. When you look at how different individuals have expressed excellence through basketball on one of the world’s largest stages, the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden have a lot to say. Through the experiences and actions of generational talent that have played for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, we can see so much more about America’s history and perceptions on crucial topics like racism, immigration, and expression of identity.

To understand the significance of the message, it is important to break down the history of the venue that served as the communicative platform. Madison Square Garden, or “MSG” for the sake of simplicity, first opened its doors in 1879. The same year Edison introduced incandescent lighting, and the Meeker Massacre occurred, MSG opened its doors for the first time. A location named after the 4th president by a prominent American figure in business -- William Henry Vanderbilt. Although the location, and ownership has changed over time, the principle of entertainment has stayed the same. Now connected to Penn Station, this incarnation of MSG was, “opened on February 11, 1968 with a salute to the U.S.O. hosted by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby” (“History of Madison Square Garden”). The U.S.O. refers to the United Service Organizations, a product of the FDR administration. It is vastly interesting how so many aspects of American culture, and history interacted to form what we know today. The MSG official website states, “the Garden’s most memorable sports events include[s] the 1970 Knicks NBA Championship”. For us to recognize that achievement, and what it meant for the overall culture of America it is important to look at what made it possible.

One of the most popular, and influential figures on that 1970s Knicks roster was none other than Walt “Clyde” Frazier. To understand why his success is so meaningful, analyzing how he gained it is critical. A fashion icon, Frazier was born in 1945, and grew up in Atlanta. It may be surprising to recall that he grew up in very different times. He states, “Segregation was the catalyst for me” (“Beginnings: Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier”, 4:45), and he continues “segregation is oppression” (4:50). It may be easy to recall these events as historical, and gestures of the past for some. Unfortunately, just a few generations of Knicks players ago, this was a reality. Frazier continues to talk about how, “you cannot do what you want to do,” and, “you are denied equal rights” (5:00). In America, this was a societal reality we lived in for so long, and the relevance of these racist tones should never be forgotten. Frazier proudly states, “people can look down on you, they can talk about you, they can call you names, but they can’t take away your pride” (5:21). This is cited as the reason as to why he is always dressed up, and how it is a source of his own personal pride. Anyone that has watched a Knicks game since he started commentating on the games knows about his eccentric and classy suits. Frazier talks a lot about how society has changed in America right in front of his eyes. Frazier talks about attending Nathan B. Forrest elementary school (named after the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan), which he calls, “ironic because [he] found out so much later that he was such a racist” (6:50). He also talks about having more scholarships for football than basketball, but talks about knowing, “there were no black quarterbacks, so once I got to college I was only interested in basketball” (13:20). Frazier’s experiences hold a lot of surprising aspects of the close past we tend to selectively forget. He covers topics like white flight, and experiences he gained post success when he was able to buy his mother a house. These are all aspects that correlate with our present -- look at how predominantly black cities in America influenced our election. NBC News states, “Biden... reached 270 Electoral College votes in large part because of Black voters in these cities.” (Ross).  Frazier’s experiences as a human being show the complexity and depth of our racist history, and expose many of our flaws. What really ties his experiences to MSG, and New York though, is when Frazier’s sister states, “to be in New York and to be playing at Madison Square Garden, oh wow, that was it” (“Beginnings: Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier”, 21:13). Frazier’s ability to encapsulate his history, and the surroundings that influenced him into success as a member of the Knicks shows how important MSG can be historically. He states, “if I can inspire people to reach different heights that I have, you know, that's what I want to do” (23:12). His career playing and commentating for the Knicks has allowed for him to do exactly this.          

 Another era of MSG and Knicks history that was critical to where we are today would be the Patrick Ewing era in the 80s/90s. A full 2 decades after Frazier, Ewing captured the heart and soul of Knicks basketball. As a Jamaican immigrant to the USA, Ewing experienced many different aspects of American perspectives. In one of the most competitive eras in professional basketball history, Ewing stood toe to toe with Jordan, and imprinted his image on New York City. What many people do not know about his history is why he chose to attend Georgetown instead of UNC.  When describing the events that curved his decision making, he describes UNC as, “a very good school, but when I went down there, they put me in that Carolina Inn, and there was a big Ku Klux Klan rally in North Carolina when I was there” (Zwerling). It is sad to see that even with so much space between Frazier, and Ewing, the racist narrative, and the American cultural connections to the KKK stay disgustingly similar.

Perhaps a positive note to this would be Ewing helped Georgetown to a NCAA championship. But that victory has a lot more meaning, Georgetown was coached by John Thompson Jr. that year. New York Times talks about this and how, “John Thompson Jr., the Hall of Fame basketball coach who led Georgetown University to national collegiate prominence and became the first African-American coach to take a team to the N.C.A.A. basketball championship” (Goldstein). What is shocking is that it took until 1984 for this to happen. It is motivating to see how Ewing, an immigrant from Jamaica, was able to collaborate with such a prominent African American figure in basketball and achieve this. It is also stated on a historical piece by MSG Networks on Ewing that, “His mother wanted him to play for a black coach” (“Patrick Ewing: The Greatest New York Knicks Big Man of All Time”, 5:35). It is fascinating to see how these pieces fell into place, and created this historical American outcome.

While on the Knicks, Ewing always expressed his pride, and power as an athlete. His dedication and drive was paralleled to no other Knick. It is very well documented that after his tenure -- the Knicks have never achieved the same heights. His history is so well known, and is ingrained in NYC/New York Knicks/MSG culture. I remember seeing his photo with the Twin Towers at the 9/11 Memorial Museum and thinking to myself how much it made sense to place him there. Ewing’s time as a Knick at MSG represented the power and influence of immigrants, New Yorkers, and the excellence of people of color, and how much we could achieve while working together. A firm statement on the culture New York City is known for, and what the American Dream can mean.

On the topic of pride, and expression, perhaps the only notable mark the Knicks have made in the media in the last decade would be when Jeremy Lin was on the team. Critical media may not have always been entirely fair to the undrafted rookie from Harvard. Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report describes Lin overall as, “a hero, a goat, a savior, an icon, a punching bag and also, in the interest of completeness, a point guard” (Hughes). As time has passed, Lin’s experiences on the court at MSG serve as a cultural phenomenon labeled “Linsanity”. Sports Illustrated recalls, “Linsanity really was one of the coolest stories in NBA and sports history because it came out of nowhere and captured the hearts of New York, the nation and a whole lot of basketball fans around the world.” (Lundberg). Perhaps what is most apparently obvious to anyone watching basketball at this time, Jeremy Lin was an Asian American.

In a country that is increasingly becoming more and more diverse, the main stage of NBA basketball culture was never really host to many notable Asian Americans. In 1947, again the Knicks and MSG made history by signing the first person of color to play basketball, a Japanese man Wataru "Wat" Misaka. By the time Lin rolled around the scene in 2010, he was, “just the fourth player of Asian-American descent to make the N.B.A.” (Beck). It is crazy to see how it took decades to just reach 4 players of Asian descent. This topic is not just compressed to basketball though, there is a vast amount of underrepresentation for Asian Americans in the media. An article from Bleacher Report describes the meaning of Lin’s success as, “different for Asian-Americans… for the first time our story was the one being told on every talk show, in every magazine and newspaper. For the first time, I saw someone who I could relate to on the cover of Sports Illustrated. For the first time, an Asian-American was the most famous person in the world” (Lee). Just as players before him faced prejudice, and racist perceptions through their experiences, Lin saw that as well. His success on the main stage, even if it was for a short amount of time serves as an example that anyone can make it professionally, and that dated racist stereotypes have served their time. Lee also supports this narrative when he states, “Jeremy Lin didn’t fit into the country’s existing box of Asian-American stereotypes. For the first time in my life, there was an Asian-American taking over American pop culture who wasn’t simply an amalgam of dated racial caricatures.” (Lee). Center stage at MSG in NYC, there was a spotlight for cultural identity and individuality. Night in, and night out. In what is almost a poetic knot on this portion of New York and American Culture, Frazier refers to Lin’s time in the spotlight as, “probably the most provocative moment in Knicks history other than the championship” (“Knicks broadcasters Mike Breen & Walt Frazier on Linsanity”, :30).

 Overall, these moments stand as pillars to MSG and the Knicks’ ties to history. The experiences of these stars show that American history, and culture is flawed, but also that there is a certain beauty in those individuals that have outlasted racist/flawed narratives. These New York Knicks have raised awareness of experiences many Americans face, and serve as examples of how we can all do, and be better. Adjusting to the larger scope of the NBA overall, it is no surprise that, “54 percent of fans of the average NBA team are nonwhite” (Silverman). This diversity maintains the narratives and opportunities that MSG and New York have to offer, and fully display how America is going to look in a couple of years. Immigrants, and people of color are here to stay, and there is plenty to learn from their lifetime experiences.

Works Cited:

Beck, Howard. “Newest Knick Out to Prove He's Not Just a Novelty.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Dec. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/sports/basketball/jeremy-lin-knicks-newest-addition-is-out-to-prove-hes-not-just-a-novelty.html?_r=1.

Goldstein, Richard. “John Thompson, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach, Dies at 78.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 31 Aug. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/sports/ncaabasketball/john-thompson-dead.html.

Hughes, Grant. “Timeline of Jeremy Lin's Rise to Linsanity and Journey to Where He Is Today.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/1747434-timeline-of-jeremy-lins-rise-to-linsanity-and-journey-to-where-he-is-today.

“Knicks Broadcasters Mike Breen & Walt Frazier on Linsanity.” YouTube, MSG Networks, 17 Mar. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5x-RW4afIo.

Lee, Joon. “Jeremy Lin Remains an American Icon, Even Five Years After Linsanity.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/2692897-jeremy-lin-remains-an-american-icon-even-five-years-after-linsanity.

Lundberg, Robin. “Remember Jeremy Lin and Linsanity?” Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated, 28 Apr. 2020, www.si.com/nba/2020/04/28/jeremy-lin-linsanity-with-knicks-remembered.

“MSG Venue History.” MSG, www.msg.com/madison-square-garden/history.

MSGOnline. “Beginnings: Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier (FULL EPISODE).” YouTube, MSG Networks, 24 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmHhkh-0BGI.

MSGOnline. “Patrick Ewing: The Greatest New York Knicks Big Man of All Time | The MSG Vault.” YouTube, MSG Networks, 7 July 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyW_q0o0a28.

Ross, Janell. “How Black Voters in Key Cities Helped Deliver the Election for Joe Biden.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 9 Nov. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/how-black-voters-key-cities-helped-deliver-election-joe-biden-n1246980.

Silverman, Alex. “Demographic Data Shows Which Major Sports Fan Bases Are Most Likely to Support or Reject Social Justice Advocacy.” Morning Consult, 10 Sept. 2020, morningconsult.com/2020/09/10/sports-fan-base-demographic-data/.

Zwerling, Jared. “Ewing: KKK Rally Helped Keep Me from UNC.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 14 June 2013, www.espn.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/45805/ewing-kkk-rally-kept-me-from-unc.