Perhaps what causes the highest levels of conflict and judgmental behavior in America are sports team affiliations.

It’s our country’s tradition to be heavily spirited when it comes to athletics (“Who are you rooting for in the Superbowl?!”). When someone doesn’t root for the same teams as you—or worse, roots for your teams’ archenemies—it’s not a surprise when you don’t like them very much. Having someone admire an athletic rival of yours may make him or her one of your rivals too.

Here in New York, it’s almost un-American to not love the Yankees and the Giants. Sure, we’ve got the Mets and Jets too. We’ll root for them because we’re loud, boisterous New Yorkers and we just want to rip everyone else to shreds—especially Bostonians. The rivalry between New England and New York is one that is deep-seeded and embedded into our culture. You don’t question it; you just know that, as New Yorkers, we don’t support New England sports teams. Being a fan of anything related to New England is simply out of the question—unless you’re mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio.

“He’s a Patriot,” the New York Post reported, “and a New York traitor.” 

De Blasio admitted he has “deep feelings” for the New England Patriots because he lived in the New England area from ages of 5 to 18 and, therefore, also roots for the Boston Red Sox.

It’s no wonder that supporters of the candidate are worried that he will decline in the polls by committing this “New York treason.” Because people here are very serious about their teams, it is very well possible that de Blasio could lose votes due to his New England affiliations.

And I couldn’t even blame New Yorkers for taking his love for New England sports into consideration when casting their vote. Which team de Blasio supports says more about him than merely what jersey hangs in his closet. In 2007, the Patriots became infamous for the “Spygate” scandal. The team was illegally videotaping the practices of opposing teams. If de Blasio is willing to endorse a team that has such little respect for football, as well as questionable morals, who knows what else he may endorse?

You should vote for people you like and trust, and you generally don’t like or trust the rivals of your favorite teams and their fans. With a government position as important as mayor, the elected person has to be someone we can fully support as New Yorkers and who can fully support us in return.