Comparing NY Metro teams to The Sopranos

There’s been a lot of pure sports articles here at Double G Sports, so we figured it was best to lighten the mood a bit and have a little fun with our jobs.  SPOILER ALERT: For those of you who have not watched the Sopranos, there will be many spoilers in here.  The show came out in 1999 so if you haven’t watched it yet I’m sorry but go check it out.  Also, I did not include the Philadelphia teams because there are already plenty of NY Metro teams.

New York Yankees – Tony Soprano

h/t HBO

Tony Soprano is the most recognizable face on the show, if not one of the most recognizable faces in all of television history.  The New York Yankees are the most recognizable team on the planet.  The two are a match made in heaven because while they’re “evil” they have more fans than just about anyone in the world.  Both are the focal point of their respective show/state and will continue to be for all eternity.

New York Mets – Carmela Soprano

h/t HBO

Throughout the entirety of The Sopranos, Carmela was the glue that held the entire show together.  She may not have always been the focal point, but she had her moments of greatness while all was crumbling around her.  She never got to be the main character, but she was in every major storyline and was a stalwart on the show.  Same goes for the Mets and all Mets fans around the world.  They’ll always play second fiddle to the Yankees, but they’re just as important as the Yankees in terms of the breadth of New York sports.  While the Mets pitching staff crumbles around the team, Met fans forever hold hope that they’ll once again climb the mountaintop of New York sports lore.

New York Rangers – Christopher Moltisanti

h/t HBO

The New York Rangers and Christopher Moltisanti go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Both are extremely important to the strength of their show/city.  They are the right hand man on their Mount Rushmore, and leading characters in their own ways.  Christopher never made it to the top because of a rash of bad decisions, bad timing, or just pure bad luck.  The Rangers are the same, coming so close to winning a Stanley Cup so many times in recent memory but never putting it all together.  Unlike Christopher the Rangers can’t get whacked, but their rebuild shows they aren’t up to snuff the way they once were.

New York Islanders – Junior Soprano

h/t HBO

Junior Soprano used to be the boss around New Jersey.  He was the guy for many years.  The show revolved around him for the first season or so, but then Tony took over and he was left decrepit and senile by the end.  He eventually died off and was forgotten about  for the most part.  The New York Islanders have been an orphan in their own city for many years.  They’ve been forgotten about many times over, and have even basically been kicked out of their own arena.  They constantly play highlights from their glory days, and think about all the good times.  However, things have never been worse for the team and it doesn’t look like that’s changing anytime soon.

New Jersey Devils – Meadow Soprano

h/t HBO

Probably the most forgotten character of the bunch, Meadow Soprano oddly enough would mind up becoming one of the most successful.  She was never in the spotlight sans a few big storylines, but was a staple on The Sopranos and was one of the few members of the family who made it out unscathed.  The New Jersey Devils are the Meadow(land)s of New York sports because they’ve accomplished so much but have received very little fanfare.  Maybe it’s because they aren’t a true “New York” team, but neither are the Jets or Giants.  They’ve exuded class throughout their tenure and have won a few Stanley Cups along the way.

New York Giants – Johnny Sack

h/t HBO

The first New Yorker on the bunch (how ironic), Johnny Sack never got a fair shake.  He was the boss of the New York Mafia and although not THE main character, he was the top guy in New York and had lots of exposure.  Unfortunately, tons of in-fighting and beef within the organization led to his downfall.  Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the top guys in the league, but has essentially single-handedly made the Giants more of a tabloid team than a legitimate force.  The Giants were once a very proud franchise and now are at the mercy of their star receiver.  There’s always that one bad egg.

New York Jets – Phil Leotardo

h/t Sopranos Wiki

Phil Leotardo was another high ranking officer in the New York mafia, but he was more bark than bite.  He was an intimidator, but didn’t have much merit to back it all up.  The New York Jets have been that their entire tenure.  They are definitely one of the most interesting teams but have very little success over their long history.  They always wind up falling flat on their face, like Phil did, and need to get out of their own way sometimes.

New York Knicks – A.J. Soprano

h/t Free Beacon

A.J. Soprano is the outcast of the family that causes all the trouble and everyone loves to hate.  He’s a tortured soul, and although he never really made it he becomes a much more endearing character.  Regardless of how endearing he may become, he is legitimately the least likable character on the show.  The New York Knicks are the least likable team in the NY Metro area, but we all come crawling back after every season.  They’re the lovable losers of the city and as much as you want to just smack them every time they make a bad draft pick or blow a big lead, you just have to love them as much as Carmela and Tony loved A.J.

Brooklyn Nets – Janice Soprano

h/t HBO

The red-headed stepchild of the bunch, Janice Soprano never really found a home within her own family.  She had a lot of issues, was extremely headstrong, but at one point had been one of the more put-together Sopranos.  She will forever be remembered as the one to always challenge the status quo, and was the “free spirit” of the family.  The Brooklyn Nets are the “free spirit” of the New York sports world.  They march to the beat of their own drum, are largely forgotten for large periods of time, but will eventually figure themselves out when the time is right.  Hey, can’t be much worse than the Knicks right?