53 Years of Thirst and the Silence of the World Cup: The New York Knicks' Madness that Swept the United States > News

The New York Knicks' advancement to the finals went beyond simple sports news and became a huge social phenomenon. With the opportunity to win the championship for the first time in 53 years since 1973, New Yorkers transformed the entire city into a festival, and the streets of Manhattan were colored with colors symbolizing the Knicks. Foreign media, including the BBC, are reporting that Americans are paying all their attention to the basketball game, forgetting even the existence of the World Cup. Knicks fans blatantly expressed their priority by saying that watching the World Cup is something they would do after the finals are over, which clearly shows the overwhelming status of basketball in the American sports market. The World Cup ticket price of 1.5 million won also served as a major economic variable that allowed ordinary citizens to enjoy the NBA comfortably at home instead of at the soccer stadium.

On the other hand, the San Antonio Spurs' situation is the exact opposite of that of the Knicks, and they are walking down a difficult and thorny path. They ambitiously advanced to the finals, led by the next-generation superstar Victor Wembanyama, but suffered the humiliation of being pushed to the edge after losing two consecutive games in the first half. In particular, the second game, in which they failed to maintain an overwhelming lead of 29 points and suffered a come-from-behind loss, remained a painful mistake for San Antonio, and even Wembanyama suffered from poor shooting and was unable to stop the team's sluggish performance. To make matters worse, even the key resource who won the Sixth Man Award recorded a lower-than-expected average of 3.8 points in the finals, breaking the flow of the team's attack. From San Antonio's perspective, the team's internal tactical problems and the poor condition of its main players overlapped, putting it in a position where it had to consider brinkmanship tactics.

San Antonio succeeded in taking the series to 1 win and 2 losses in Game 3 with a valuable win along with Wembanya Ma's rebound. This victory was more than just a win, as it was the only way out to turn around the team atmosphere that had been oppressed by New York's strong momentum. The political and cultural influence of the finals is growing day by day, with former President Trump personally visiting the stadium and observing the event, further solidifying the competition's status. The players are also strongly motivated not to miss out on the remaining opportunities, and the media's attention is also focused, with global stars such as SHINee's Minho participating as guest commentators in the broadcast of Game 5. Now the series has entered a world of tense competition where one cannot predict the future.

One of the reasons the World Cup is struggling in the United States is due to the limitations of the infrastructure and public awareness of the sport of soccer in the United States. Although the popularity of soccer has increased somewhat since the 1994 World Cup, the prevailing opinion is that it is still not enough to overcome the huge barrier of basketball and American soccer. However, experts agree that the success of this World Cup may vary depending on the performance of the U.S. national team. If the team passes the group stage and performs well in the tournament, there is a high possibility that the attention of American citizens who were indifferent to soccer will gradually shift to the World Cup. Ultimately, the current NBA dominance system shows the foundation of American sports culture, while at the same time proving the huge mountain that must be overcome for soccer to fully establish itself as a popular sport in the American market.