Sports and transit, at first thought, don’t necessarily go together. They’re completely different topics, and often times, enthusiasts of one category don’t embrace the other to the same extent.
However, they can often benefit from each other. Fans often use public transit to get to and from the games they desire. This is especially common in major cities which have sustainable public infrastructure, and can support tens of thousands of fans flocking to and from games at a time.
Nonetheless, there is a specific point of the year in which the combination of sports and transit is embraced. During this time, they thrive from each other.
And that point in time is the Subway Series.
If you are unfamiliar with sports or transit, you may not know what the Subway Series is. When the Yankees and Mets — the two Major League Baseball teams from New York City — play each other, fans often rely on the city’s subway system to get to and from the stadiums. As the stadiums, Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, are directly connected to the subway, access to those points is fairly easy using the subway. Because of this, the event is referred to as the Subway Series (and if a packed subway car filled with rowdy sports fans is your cup of tea, the Subway Series is just for you).
Since the Yankees and Mets play in different leagues, they only play one or two series against each other each year (which is about six games). Thus, the Subway Series only occurs during these times, making it semi-rare.
And the Subway Series reached its most prominent peak during none other than the 2000 World Series.
Synonymous with any New Yorker who lived through it, the Subway Series that was the 2000 World Series immediately brings back memories of inter-city rivalries, with Yankees and Mets fans often clashing at the checkout line, MetroCard and subway token vendors with differing baseball caps clashing, and trains filled with beer, booze and belches. It was a time like no other.
The turn of the century couldn’t come any less nerve-racking for New York sports fans. The five day period between October 21 and 26, 2000 was filled with fear and delight for both sides. The Yankees were able to take Games 1 and 2 from the Mets, instilling fear in the hearts of Mets fans, while delighting the overly-confident Yankees fans. However, on October 24, the series shifted to Shea Stadium, Mets’ territory, and they were indeed able to take Game 3, reversing the feelings. Nonetheless, the Yankees were able to win Games 4 and 5, both at Shea, for their 26th World Series title.
The Subway Series aspect of the World Series, the transit aspect, united the city and brought fans of both teams together, despite the series simultaneously driving them apart. In a time where New York was divided, the unifying factor of the city, the subway system, brought them together.
The MTA’s New Technology R142 cars, which arrived just three months prior in July 2000, aided in the enhancement of comfort for its passengers, complete with a modern air conditioning system, automated stop announcements, and digital FIND station displays; the R142 was the subway car of the 21st century, the century which was to come.
And the subway sure played its part in promoting the series. The MTA painted most of its fleet of subway cars which ran on the 4 and 7 lines, the lines serving the stadiums, with special Yankees and Mets liveries. Yankee Stadium would be served by the 4 train, which donned the Yankees livery, and Shea Stadium would be served by the 7 train, donning the Mets livery.
Another factor the subway played in the promotion of the series was the offering of free subway rides home for attendees of the game, something the MTA would be too cheap to accomplish nowadays.
Fans also embraced the collision of sports and transit, with Yankee fans displaying signs reading “Yankees in 4, not in 7”, which offered a double meaning. The “4” and “7” on the signs were resemblant of their subway service bullets (with the 4 being in a dark-green circle, and the 7 being in a purple circle). This referred to the subway services that served the stadiums, the 4 and the 7.
Additionally, the signs were encouraging the Yankees to beat the Mets in four games, not in seven (as the World Series was and still is a best-of-seven matchup). My father, who attended Game 2 of the World Series, possessed one of these signs. Gotta love the creativity there.
The 2000 World Series ended up becoming a notable event in New York City history (despite the rest of the country not caring as much). It was arguably the most significant period in which sports and transit collided, but was not the only. As mentioned earlier, the Subway Series still occurs annually, but trains are not decorated, and free rides are not offered. Instead, the Subway Series has become a mere marketing campaign, carefully crafted to lure fans into forking over a few hundred bucks to watch a whimpering rivalry that hasn’t seen its glory in twenty years.
Despite the Subway Series being an event synonymous with New York City, there is one other city that can have an actual Subway Series, and that is Chicago. Although not referred to as such, the rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and White Sox is comparable to that of the Yankees and Mets.
Both teams play in different leagues, and as such only play each other in one or two series per year. Both teams’ home stadiums are connected to the city’s subway system (in fact, they’re both connected by the same line, unlike New York, where (free) transfers are required). And both teams suffer from this “manual” rivalry, a “fake” rivalry if you will, which has been crafted as a mere marketing campaign to attract people to the games.
The Cubs and White Sox don’t really hate each other, as do the Yankees and Mets. They are not real rivals in that they don’t even play in the same division, and so competition isn’t much of a factor. The primary focus of the rivalry between these inter-city teams is glory: whoever wins can gloat and poke fun at the other side, claiming their team is better. Although, the Mets taking one game from the Yankees simply cannot be used as a claim that the Mets are better, despite Mets fans repeatedly attempting to do so. Kiss the rings, baby.
It is undeniable that the Subway Series is an existent rivalry, but in some circles, lacks the authenticity of a true, real rivalry (just look at the Yankees and Red Sox). It is also true that the term “Subway Series” mainly applies to baseball, but doesn’t have to. The Knicks and Nets, and Rangers and Islanders all play in the same city, and their venues are easily accessible by the subway system.
Nonetheless, whenever two New York City teams are playing each other at the same time period, the collision of sports and transit indeed occurs.
And for a New Yorker, it’s glorious. Especially when your team wins.
Chris is a writer and publisher who travels America, and loves doing it. He also loves pizza, video games, and sports, and can tell you a thing or two about each. Follow him on Medium to be informed of new articles.
