The State of New York Sports: Ranking Which Teams Have the Brightest Future

Tomorrow night, I will be travelling to New York City, and this will be my first time not only visiting the Big Apple, but it will also be my first time travelling solo.

I’ll likely have a post later on in the week when I come back about my experience and how it went. But before I leave tomorrow, I want to relate this to my passion, which is sports. And New York is obviously a pretty unique sports market, as it has multiple teams in multiple leagues.

Because of that, I wanted to do a fun blog post today ranking how hopeful each of these teams should be going forward, and specifically, which fan bases have the most to look forward to.

Let's get into this.

(9): New York Jets- NFL

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way.

The New York Jets are a disaster, and they’ve been a disaster for years. They haven’t made the NFL playoffs since the 2010 season, and they look nowhere close to doing so anytime soon.

While their general manager, Darren Mougey, has done quite a bit over the past year that has impressed me in terms of transactions, such as getting two first-round picks for cornerback Sauce Gardner or trading Quinnen Williams for multiple draft picks. So, I do think he’s been able to set the franchise up well in terms of draft capital.

But as I’ve written multiple times here, I am not a believer in Aaron Glenn as head coach. I don’t think they have a quarterback, and the Jets just should not be trusted, especially with owner Woody Johnson still heavily involved.

So until the Jets actually pull something off, I just don’t think their fans can be excited about truly anything, especially in a weak quarterback class where the future signal caller doesn’t look anywhere close to being on their roster.

(8): Brooklyn Nets- NBA

Oh, how the "mighty" have fallen.

The Brooklyn Nets at one point looked like they were going to be the talk of the town in New York City, especially when they had their Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. Even when they first came to Brooklyn in 2012 and made that original blockbuster trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, there was real buzz.

But the Nets have just been a perennial losing franchise ever since. Not even the Durant, Irving, and Harden Big Three could get them over the top.

And while they will always, I think, be in trade discussions because they have so much draft capital and cap space going forward, I do think them going 0 for 5 on first-round picks last year does not make me see Brooklyn being anywhere close to competitive in the Eastern Conference anytime soon.

Unless they make another big swing for a superstar, which definitely could happen, I’m just not counting on it.

(7): New York Rangers- NHL

Another franchise that appeared to have so much hope just a few short years ago is the New York Rangers.

Two seasons ago, they were in the Eastern Conference Final and were two games away from the Stanley Cup Final. Now they sit second-to-last in the NHL, and they just appear to have one of the most toxic organizations in all of hockey.

They forced their captain and franchise legend out of the building in this Chris Drury era as general manager. And the J.T. Miller trade, no doubt about it, just looks like a disaster. He’s their captain now, and he hasn’t changed the culture at all; if anything, it looks like he’s made it much worse.

I do believe in head coach Mike Sullivan, but is it possible he was a bit overrated going into this season? It looks like it, as the Rangers are struggling a ton this year.

Luckily, I was not one of the people who thought the Rangers were going to do anything special this year. But I do have questions going forward about their relationship with their star defenseman, Adam Fox. A lot of this management group was part of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold, but they left their franchise defenseman at home, even after having him at the Four Nations Faceoff a year ago.

How does that affect the relationship with him going forward? Time will tell. In his last press conference, he did not seem too pleased about being a Ranger at this current moment.

But hey, you still have Igor Shesterkin in net, and as long as you have him under contract, you at least have a franchise-level player somewhere within the organization.

As of right now, though, unless you win the draft lottery this year (which they very well could), there’s not much hope for this team going forward with this older core.

(6): New Jersey Devils- NHL

Not too many teams in the NHL this year have been more disappointing than the New Jersey Devils.

After a playoff appearance last year, they’ve fallen way down the standings. And while it’s been largely due to injuries, especially to a player like Jack Hughes, who before the Olympics was out for nearly two months with a pretty serious hand injury he suffered at a steak dinner, it did essentially derail the Devils’ season.

But this is a team that is in major need of a shake-up within the core.

I believe in Jack Hughes. I believe in Nico Hischier as part of the core of this team. But I think almost everyone else should at least be up for discussion in trade talks within this organization.

So unless they get Quinn Hughes in the summer of 2027, which I don’t think is going to happen, especially if he continues to have success in Minnesota. I think the Devils may have missed their shot at doing anything truly special with this group.

And while you could make the argument that this team is still fairly young, they’ve been young for a while now and haven’t taken that significant leap.

(5): New York Islanders- NHL

I feel like all I have to say for this section is Matthew Schaefer.

The rookie defenseman, last year’s number one overall pick, has been tremendous. He’s already one of the best defensemen, if not one of the best players, in the entire NHL. That alone should give Islanders fans enough to look forward to for the next decade plus.

It is a fairly weird team, though, as they are older across multiple areas. But throughout this season, they’ve been one of the more fun teams for me to watch in the NHL. They always seem to have a flair for the comeback.

But, as long as you have Schaefer playing at this level for the next decade or so, you should have hope going forward, especially with a playoff appearance seemingly all but certain to happen in his first season.

(4): New York Knicks- NBA

This is where the leap starts, and there’s a clear “Big Four” for me in New York sports.

But we’re going to start with the Knicks, which kind of surprises me to have this low, especially coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance last year. They very well could make the finals this year; in fact, they were my pick before the season. But again, it’s just another weird team.

It’s clear to me that I don’t think Karl-Anthony Towns will be there long-term, and I just feel like they missed their window last year against the Pacers. They were more talented, but the Pacers played better team basketball.

I also have questions about how Jalen Brunson will age at such a small size for a guard. But this team has talent, especially with that starting five, and players seemingly want to go there. If you recall, Giannis Antetokounmpo apparently wanted to be traded to the Knicks last summer. So if the Knicks get another star via free agency or trade, they would obviously leapfrog this list.

As of right now, though, I do think the Knicks have a ceiling, and last year may have been it based on the play we’ve seen from them this season.

But I hope I’m wrong and they make the Finals sometime soon, because I can’t imagine how crazy Madison Square Garden would be for an NBA Finals series.

(3): New York Yankees- MLB

At number three, I think it’s fair to say we have New York’s favourite team: the Yankees.

But the Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009, and they’ve only been there once since, which was in 2024, when they lost to the Dodgers in five games.

Listen, as long as you have Aaron Judge, who is at the very least a top-three player in baseball and could easily be number one on anyone’s list, not to mention a perennial MVP candidate, the Yankees will always have hope. The Yankees are never truly bad, as they’ve had winning seasons every year since 1992, and they’ll always be a favourite to land a star via free agency or trade.

But over the past few years, it’s become clear that they don’t like to spend money. The Steinbrenner's might not be able to keep up with some of the other owners in sports today because most of their money comes from the Yankees themselves and not outside businesses like other owners.

And also, it’s an uncomfortable conversation, but Judge is starting to get into his mid-30s. I know he doesn’t seem that old, and his production doesn’t look like it’s going to slip anytime soon, but it could happen at any time. If he wants to cement his legacy, he’s going to need to bring a World Series to New York.

Do I think he will do it? Probably. But I’ve thought that for years, and the Yankees have only made it to the Fall Classic once during his career.

So obviously, Yankees fans should always have hope. They’re never going to be truly awful, but that’s not the standard for this franchise. They need to get back to the mountaintop, especially in a city like New York.

(2): New York Mets- MLB

Now onto the New York team that always crushes their fans’ dreams: the little brother of baseball in New York, the Mets.

However, “little brother” isn’t so little when it comes to the pocketbooks now. Ever since Steve Cohen bought the team, the Mets have been big-game hunting. Over the past two offseasons specifically, they’ve brought in star players like Juan Soto and Bo Bichette.

Heading into this year, they’re one of the favourites not only to win the National League behind the Dodgers, but if the Dodgers don’t win the World Series, the Mets very well could.

On paper, the Mets have a star-studded lineup. Alongside Soto and Bichette, there’s Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, and Freddy Peralta. Just a few of the key names. On paper, this might be one of the most stacked rosters in MLB.

Especially in this non-salary cap era, I do think the Mets will continue to be a factor in the National League.

(1): New York Giants- NFL

Now, the franchise I think has the most hope and the fan base with the most to look forward to going forward might be a bit of a surprise to some, but I really do think it’s the New York Giants.

I’m a believer in Jaxson Dart at quarterback. I think Malik Nabers, when healthy, is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Cam Skattebo looks like one of the most entertaining running backs in the league. They have multiple great players on defence, and with the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, they’re going to add even more talent to that core.

Not to mention, I think they finally have a real head coach in John Harbaugh, who, while he had his faults at the end in Baltimore,, is a proven winner,, and I do think he will help change the culture.

I also don’t think anyone in their division is that scary going forward. The Eagles are always a perennial Super Bowl contender, but they’re getting older and always seem to have some dysfunction. I can’t take the Cowboys seriously, and the Commanders, while they enjoyed some success in 2024 with Jayden Daniels, saw him miss most of 2025, and the team seems to be slipping back into old habits.

I think the Giants are going to be the most stable franchise going forward in the Harbaugh-Dart era. As long as Dart can stay out of the medical tent, there’s a real chance the Giants could be the shocker of the NFL next year and very well win the NFC East.

So, as of right now, I would say the Giants are the team that New Yorkers should most embrace going forward, because I think Big Blue is going to be back in some form in the not-too-distant future.