Knick Block Parties Remind Us of the Importance of Community & Fandom

The outdoor events outside of Madison Square Garden show us why love for sports and our teams is so beautiful

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who lives in Scotland. We were talking about the importance of community when it comes to soccer clubs in Europe, and how that communal aspect is missing in the English Premier League. It was a conversation that made me think about fan culture here in the United States—a dynamic that has increasingly become more transactional with inflated ticket prices and persistent threats of team relocation.

Rising ticket prices have made the live experience of games feel more corporate, and the average fan has been priced out and replaced with higher tax bracket individuals that don’t share the same passion and ferocity for our teams. Look no further than the cost of getting into Madison Square Garden for a Knicks playoff game.

In their first round series against Detroit, tickets started $250 before fees (compared to a starting price of $90 for games in Detroit). Those prices have only increased for the second round series against Boston, where tickets for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden start at $628 (before fees) and are only going up. What is an average fan to do in this situation? The answer for many has been to attend the All New York Block Parties—outdoor events with a bunch of screens and passionate Knick fans. These events have offered a glimpse into the fandom and reminded us of the power of community when it comes to sports.

The Rising Cost of Success

There are a few factors to consider when it comes to the cost of Knicks tickets at MSG. The first is that the arena will forever be iconic (as much as that annoys opposing fan bases) and being an arena located in Manhattan will also contribute to elevated prices. New York City has a rich basketball history on the playgrounds and that has contributed to the consistent popularity of the Knicks. All these realities help to drive up the cost of attending a Knicks game.

From a supply and demand perspective, interest in the Knicks is the highest that it has been this century because the team is currently enjoying a string of competitiveness that it hasn’t experienced since the Jeff Van Gundy era. But with that success and the rising costs, the average fan has been left out in the cold so to speak. This is where the Block Parties come in—marrying the love of basketball with the heartbeat of a city unlike any other.

The idea of a viewing party is not new for playoff teams. Teams across the country conduct events in their arenas to offer a hometown feel. The Indiana Pacers have a network of bars for officially sponsored viewing parties for their playoff games as a more official feel than just venturing into a local bar for example. But with the living organism that is New York City, the Knicks have tapped into a different sort of vibe this postseason.

These viewing parties are being held at Plaza 33, right next to Penn Station. The proximity to MSG for these gatherings is the secret sauce, because there is still a connection to the arena—even if fans aren’t inside. The events are outdoors and free, meaning that fans of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy watching the Knicks while activating a communal experience fan experience that makes Knicks fandom so special.

Building Community

A friend of mine who recently moved to the New York City area this past year has attended a few of these viewing parties, so I asked him to articulate what the experience has been like. He described it as “one big support group”, and that is perhaps the best way to describe dedicated Knicks fandom.

Fans of other teams will often see videos on social media of Knicks fans overreacting over a regular season win and laugh. They will wonder why fans get so excited over a win and policing their happiness because the team hasn’t won a championship since 1973. In many ways, being a fan of the Knicks has always been about the little things. The chronic lack of success over the past two decades has forced us to enjoy the small wins and appreciate the climb and the difficulty of sustained greatness.

Through fellow Knick fans there is often a collective group trauma, especially for long-term fans of the team. Whether it’s John Starks in Game 7 of the Finals, the tumultuous eras of Carmelo Anthony and Stephon Marbury, or the second-round losses of this current era, these are all moments that we can discuss and relate to one another over. It is simply not the same as many other fan bases because the number of loyal Knick fans during the dark years is still very high relative to the rest of the NBA.

An outdoor viewing party with hundreds of people is the perfect place for these sorts of fan connections to occur. The concept is an incredibly New York-centric sort of thing. The birth of hip hop in the late 1970s happened because of a block party. And since those days, block parties have become a staple of the fabric of New York City—a form of celebration and togetherness that can only come in a city that is so densely populated.

In this case, New Yorkers are celebrating their basketball team. One that has gone through its ups and downs as much as the city has. Just like the city, the Knicks Block Parties exist as an organism with onlookers interested in what is going on and stopping through to enjoy the atmosphere.

Every emotion of the game is felt and magnified because everyone is solely focused on watching their favorite team try and contend for a championship, to prove that they belong. A made shot is a celebration, a miss or a turnover is the worst thing that ever happened. But when the team wins it is pure euphoria. And on some level that is what being a fan is all about—the joy that your team provides you that is truly priceless. To experience that, for free, with other like-minded individuals is a moment of bliss that is often too fleeting in this world.

The landscape of modern sports has become so predicated on business and corporate bottom line box checking. It has sucked all the oxygen from the proverbial room—to the point that we all forget the emotion that comes with these games and the raw attachment of fandom. These watch parties, filled with human connection and camaraderie, remind us why we love sports so much. And from the lens of this Knicks fan, it reminds me why I love the Knicks and the city of New York so much.