Being a proud New Jerseyan leaves you with a bunch of lousy choices when deciding what sports teams to root for. No matter where you look, you’re in jeopardy of betraying your beloved state. We have two football teams (and a Major League Soccer team) who pretend they don’t even play here. An NBA team that split on us. A NJ Devils hockey team that wholly embraces the state yet struggles to win over fans who still root for the NY Rangers. Then there’s the complexity of the divide between Philly and New York teams. Nowhere in the country, perhaps, is the simple act of rooting for a sports team so complicated.
To make sense of it all and vent a little, we turned Benny Horowitz, drummer for The Gaslight Anthem, who shows off his Jersey pride in ways small (the tattoo on his arm) and globally (the flag that hangs behind his drum kit on stages across the world).
He’s also a huge sports fan who faces this mix of personal, family and Jersey loyalties every time he sits down to watch a game. Listen up, this is a fun one.
You can also follow Benny’s podcast work at The Tune-Up and Going Off Track.
Who do you root for? How does your Jersey pride play into it? How do you justify rooting for the NY Rangers? The NY Giants? The Nets? Are you a Devils fan frustrated by all the hypocrisy? Subscribe, send us a comment or shoot us an email and let us know what you think of the topic, the show and whatever else is on your mind.
Mark and Brian
EPISODE 3: Benny Horowitz, Gaslight Anthem drummer and Jersey pride-swallowing sports fan