Say what you want about the Cold War, but it made sports a lot more interesting. Competitions like the Olympics became a fierce cultural battle. Until Al-Qaeda gets their beach-volleyball team into the Summer Games, we just won’t have that in the post-Cold War era.
If you’re looking for a game with a Cold War feel, we humbly suggest checking out tonight’s game between the Phoenix Suns and the New Jersey Nets. The Nets are admittedly a sub-par basketball team, but with promising young players like Rafer Alston and Brook Lopez, they are still a threat. Besides, the rivalry with the Soviets was never about their skills, it was about culture. Like the USSR, New Jersey is marred by corruption and a strong mafia presence. Their culture of eating at diners and un-ironically loving Bon Jovi goes against everything our city stands for. It’s practically your civic duty to show up and root against them.
Wed., Jan. 20, 7 p.m., 2010
