Elmo NBA Finals Post Sparks Outrage Across Knicks Fanbase
Elmo tried his best to behave politely, but it turned out to be unacceptable by the Knicks’ fans.
Elmo, who is known as a character featured in “Sesame Street,” suddenly became the topic of discussion within the NBA community on account of the team’s upcoming first NBA Final match against San Antonio Spurs. Before the game, Elmo tweeted the following:
“Elmo wishes that both teams will enjoy the game!”
Indeed, it is not surprising that such a simple tweet was written by Elmo. But then again, considering that it was the first appearance of the Knicks in the NBA finals for years, the message received much attention.
The Knicks’ fans rushed to comment under the tweet, saying that Elmo should back his hometown team. Why? Well, simply because “Sesame Street” was associated with New York City.
Elmo Walks Back the Neutrality
Following the responses Elmo received about his comment, Elmo decided to make another comment in the form of a basketball comment.
“KNICKS that last message! Elmo didn’t mean to SPUR you on!” Elmo said.
While this post can be considered quite funny, the event showed how far their discussion had gone. The children’s show character joined the discussion about the NBA finals because all New Yorkers felt like they had to pick a team.
It is also this reason that it was a very amusing moment since Elmo did not offend either team. He made a neutral comment, and still, it angered the fans.
Apparently, being neutral in New York was just too much.
Why Knicks Fans Took It Personally
The incident would become much more clear when viewing the wider context that surrounds this season of the Knicks.
New York City’s fans have waited for a long time for such a sight. It is almost twenty years since the Knicks had qualified for the NBA finals, the last year they qualified for the finals was during the 1999 season where they won the NBA title way back in 1973. It is quite a while since the Knicks have been able to leave an impression in the world of basketball.
This long waiting time determines how the fans react.
Everything associated with the city of New York will end up having their support for the Knicks. With Spike Lee showing his backing from the courtside, right down to companies in New York decorating their places using graphics in their colors of orange and blue, even Elmo will be obligated to know what he must do.
This explains the reaction to Elmo’s initial post.
Courtesy of MIKI Yoshihito (Flickr CC0)Sesame Street Meets Sports Tribalism
Perhaps the most interesting aspect about this scandal, however, is also the most telling.
Elmo is associated with qualities such as kindness, patience, and good old-fashioned emotion.
The fans responded as though Elmo had broken some form of sacred taboo concerning urban solidarity.
This contrast accounts for the quick popularity that the story enjoyed as it transformed from a relatively innocent blog posting into a clash of innocence and zeal in youth and sports fandom.
Sports fans have a tradition of loyalty: “Are you with us or are you against us?” “Do you support your own town?” Or “are you just standing there like an idiot?”
Elmo failed this test miserably.
But then he came through and did the only logical thing to do: he cracked a joke.
A Viral Moment Bigger Than Basketball
Here we can see the connection between the fact that the current sporting events cannot be limited to just sports.
An NBA finals match means much more than simply playing against another team. These days, the main thing about the Finals is to be everywhere in social media and participate in the event with everybody else.
That is why Elmo ended up commenting on Knicks versus Spurs.
While the real basketball game is obviously the main focus, in which the Knicks have secured the lead after their first win, there is yet another contest going on around the game – and that is who manages to prove his or her love for New York.
The mistake made by Elmo was being friendly.
The Softest Controversy of the NBA Finals
There was no scandal here. Elmo was not even suspended. Knicks fans were just joking around, but people responding to Elmo’s tweets were quite emotional. The whole thing is hilarious because it shows how insignificant it really is.
But this scandal reveals some significant things too.
The fans of basketball in New York have been waiting for years for the championship that this city so desperately needs. As a result, even the actions of such an innocent character as Elmo raised suspicions. This city does not need somebody who would keep balance. They want to believe.
And indeed, at last, Elmo gave Knicks fans the apology they deserved.
This year, Finals have so much hype to them that another lesson comes from Sesame Street for all of us, watching Finals of 2013.
In a Finals game, even Elmo should think before he speaks.
By David Loran Jr
A successful Editor-in-Chief, journalist for over 6 years, writing about important topics that are going on within the U.S. and beyond.
Sources:
ABC News: Elmo responds after NBA Finals post uproar
The Guardian: ‘Pick a side coward’: even-handed Elmo enrages New York Knicks fans
Featured Image Courtesy of Simon Yeo‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of MIKI Yoshihito‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
