Philly or New York?

Figure 1 Might there be more Eagles fans after the season Philly had?

It was one of the biggest questions in sports around here during the NFL season – Eagles or Giants? That may seem cruel for any Jets fans reading this, but this region has traditionally been split between New York and Philadelphia sports teams and the football brought that to a head.

It might be easier for fans to decide which is the best site for sports betting but there will always be disagreements when it comes to which team locals get behind. Whether it is Yankees or Phillies or Giants or Eagles, Lakewood is seen by some as the dividing line for loyalties. But who should Lakewood be supporting?

Jersey Sports

Since the Nets made the jump to Brooklyn just over ten years ago now there has only been one professional major league sports team that bears the name of our home state. The Devils still keep the torch alive but the other teams that may play within the state borders have kept their New York monikers.

That’s why it is always a ripe topic of conversation – especially for people from out of state. It seems strange that a state this big and important would only have one team. But anyone who lives here knows that there are plenty of sports fans – they just support New York or Philadelphia teams.

North vs. South

There are many ways to divide the state of New Jersey but the most common for sports is a diagonal north-south split. The people in northern New Jersey like the Giants, the Yankees and the Mets, while those in the south prefer to root for the Phillies, the Flyers and the Eagles.

Trenton is mostly Eagles but acts as a cut-off in the state. But here in Lakewood we just about sit in the northern half and could go either way. In places like ours, it could be more down to who your parents got behind. There has been more movement from New York down this way in recent years though, so that could swing the area more blue, as far as sports go.

Central Jersey

It makes sense that the central strip of New Jersey would be a melting point of New York and Philadelphia love. Lakewood could be classified as being in central Jersey, so it should come as no surprise if your neighbors plant Giants flags on their lawns during the football season. Although their Eagles-supporting neighbors will have enjoyed themselves a little more.

It could be that Tom’s River is the point where the sports divide switches over. But Flyers fans can be found further north. That could be down to the success of the team in the past, or that the Devils are a relatively newer team. It was definitely noticeable that there were more Devils fans around the time of their success in the 1990s.

Figure 2 This isn’t New York, but you will always find some Yankees fans in Lakewood

Common Ground

It might be thought that the Devils would unite Lakewood like no other team, considering it is the only bona fide New Jersey team. But sports doesn’t really work like that – and now that they play in Newark, it is actually the Flyers that are closer.

Most of Lakewood would probably swing towards the New York teams because of family ties, as well as for geographical reasons.

Local Teams

This can’t be classified as south New Jersey but there could well be some football-loving kids looking towards Philadelphia after the season just gone. There might have been even more if the Eagles had managed to hang on and beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

The Giants may get more of a look-in again if Daniel Jones can continue to confound the critics and make his team postseason regulars again. But there is another option for Lakewood sports fans, of course.

For the sunnier months of the year there is the chance to all get behind the one local team we can all agree on. Head along to the ShoreTown Ballpark, going east out of town and watch Lakewood’s very own Jersey Shore BlueClaws. They may be affiliates of the Phillies, but even Yankees fans can surely forget that for the love of baseball, can’t they?

This content, and any other content on TLS, may not be republished or reproduced without prior permission from TLS. Copying or reproducing our content is both against the law and against Halacha. To inquire about using our content, including videos or photos, email us at [email protected].

Stay up to date with our news alerts by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

**Click here to join over 20,000 receiving our Whatsapp Status updates!**

**Click here to join the official TLS WhatsApp Community!**

Got a news tip? Email us at [email protected], Text 415-857-2667, or WhatsApp 609-661-8668.