Mamdani Chooses Soccer Over America’s Birthday
Many have described New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani as a terrorist-supporting communist who hates America. His defenders dispute this characterization, but the evidence keeps piling up against them.
Earlier this month, Mamdani signed an "emergency" order banning large public gatherings during the World Cup, a soccer tournament held every four years. The United States is cohosting the event this summer along with Canada and Mexico—a demeaning affront to American exceptionalism. Adding insult to injury, the World Cup is taking place during what is supposed to be the glorious celebration of our 250th birthday.
New York was initially planning to allow members of the public to gather in Times Square on the evening of July 3 for a ball drop fashioned after the traditional New Year's Eve celebration. As a result of Mamdani's order, the ball drop has been downsized to a "limited, ticketed in-person experience" inside the One Times Square building. At least 25 other major events are at risk of being canceled because of Mamdani's demonstrated belief that soccer—a joyless Eurocentric "sport" characterized by performative trauma and low-scoring tedium—is more important than America.
Mamdani insists that the crackdown on pro-American revelry is necessary to conserve city resources for the World Cup. But the evidence suggests a more sinister motive. New York City is not even hosting any games; they're being held at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, N.J., almost 10 miles from Times Square. The fact that games will be played at MetLife between June 30 and July 5 raises troubling questions about the decision to scale back the patriotic ball drop on July 3.
The scandalous development could not come at a worse time for Mamdani, who continues to face criticism for placing a curse on the New York Mets, a beloved franchise that plays a (real) sport often described as "America's pastime." The Mets lost 11 straight games after the mayor visited Citi Field on April 9 and posed for selfies with the team's mascots, Mr. and Mrs. Met. The team finally won on Wednesday, but even the long-awaited victory was cursed. Francisco Lindor, a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop and one of the Mets' most reliable hitters, left the game in the fourth inning after suffering a calf injury. He did not return.
Observers noted the suspicious timing of Lindor's injury—just days after Mamdani's meeting with former president Barack Obama in the Bronx. In addition to sharing Mamdani's controversial views on terrorism (pro), communism (pro), and America (anti), Obama has a long history of using the dark arts to meddle in sports. In 2019, for example, Obama presided over three major injuries in high-profile basketball games. In February, he looked on as Duke superstar Zion Williamson suffered a shoe-exploding knee injury against arch rival North Carolina. In June, he watched as two key players for the Golden State Warriors went down with injuries in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors went on to lose to the Toronto Raptors of Canada.
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