Good morning, it’s FRIDAY!! Enough said.
I am not ashamed to say that I am not, and never have been, a sports fan.
The sports I participate in (long-distance running, triathlon, lifting, hiking, cycling, swimming) all have varying degrees of a a following – ultra running, for example, is very niche, but growing in participation, thanks in no small part (in my opinion, anyway) to David Goggins and other high-profile participants.
I realize that I am in the minority here. According to a 2023 Siena/St. Bonaventure national survey, 70 precent of Americans consider themselves sports fans – 81 percent of men and 60 percent of women. A far smaller percentage – 21, to be exact – are “avid” fans, which means they watch and/or talk about and/or bet on sports every single day, while 26 percent characterize themselves as “involved”, meaning they engage with sports a few times a week.
Football (the American kind, not what we here in the U.S. know as soccer) remains the favorite by far with sports fans, with 41 percent saying competitions on the gridiron are their favorite kinds of competitions to watch. This has been the case since 1972 – at least in Gallup’s polling – when football eclipsed baseball in popularity.
Today, baseball (supposedly “America’s pastime”) and basketball effectively tie in terms of popularity in the aforementioned Gallup poll at 10 percent and 9 percent respectively, though basketball is more popular among younger viewers and the older set (65 and up) are more likely still to favor baseball.
I never really got a taste of the rabid nature of football fandom until I worked briefly with The Ohio State University, AKA OSU, which is, for those who are not in the know, a veritable powerhouse of college football. Football – specifically, love of the Buckeyes – at OSU is a religion, so much so that one is not even allowed to say the name of its top rival (the one that starts with “M”) out loud during the intensely competitive season.
My OSU friends were aghast that I did not own any team and/or college-branded swag. There is a lot of prideful sporting of various kinds of “O” emblazoned merch, but on game days it is mandatory. I acquired several t-shirts, a bike jersey (long story), and a baseball hat in order to fit in.
Now that OSU and I have parted ways, I don’t have any reason to rep the Buckeyes anymore. But again, I’m in the minority, I think, because people really love to show their love for their favorite teams by sporting their logos and names emblazoned on all manner of clothing. (Gov. Kathy Hochul must own a whole closetful of Bills merch, I’m convinced).
Don’t be surprised if you see a surplus of jersey sporting folks out there today, because thanks to the NFL’s Players Association, the first Friday in November is now National Jersey Day. If you want to go down a rabbit hole to find out the history of sports jerseys, click here; recounting that is a little too niche for a non-sports lover like me. There’s only so much a person can take.
It’s going to be cloudy today, with a chance of rain showers. High temperatures will be hitting the mid-50s. The weekend is looking like a mixed bag, weather-wise, with early cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain tomorrow – again with highs in the mid-50s – and more clouds and more rain on Sunday, with temperatures struggling to break into the 50s.
I guess it will be a good weekend to stay home and watch football.
In the headlines…
As travelers waited in suspense yesterday to learn whether their flights would be among those canceled starting this morning, the government agencies behind the mandatory cuts to air traffic spent most of the day in silence.
All three of New York’s major airports. JFK, Newark and LaGuardia, were bracing for possible cuts in flights ahead of the FAA’s announced reductions today as the ongoing federal government shutdown dragged on.
Travelers to Newark Liberty International Airport were hit with over three-hour flight delays yesterday due to the historic government shutdown, while other major New York City airports are slated to feel the pain of steep flight cuts soon.
Denver, CO, has proposed to keep the nation’s third-busiest airport running by paying air traffic controllers out of its own pocket during the historic government shutdown, according to a report.
President Donald Trump has announced a landmark deal aiming to expand Medicare coverage to include certain weight-loss medications, a move that could dramatically change access to these treatments for millions of older Americans.
About 10% of Medicare enrollees will be newly eligible for coverage of GLP-1 drugs because of the deal, a senior administration official told reporters.
Trump took time out of his press conference to fat-shame his own staff for taking Ozempic, the popular weight-loss drug.
The maker of Ozempic and Wegovy has cut its sales and profit forecasts as it continues to fall behind in the competitive market for obesity and diabetes treatments.
Nancy Pelosi, 85, the first and only female speaker of the US House of Representatives and one of the most powerful figures in Democratic politics for decades, has announced she will not seek reelection.
“With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative,” Pelosi said in a video. “As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power. We have made history.”
Pelosi will go down in history as one of the most consequential speakers in American history — the first woman to lead the House, a two-time speaker, and a skilled political brawler and legislative tactician.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fund food stamps in full for roughly 42 million low-income Americans, after admonishing the government for delaying aid under the nation’s largest anti-hunger program during the shutdown.
The Justice Department almost immediately told the court that it would appeal the ruling, which renewed fears that the poorest Americans would not receive their full benefits to purchase groceries this month.
A pharmaceutical executive collapsed in the Oval Office on live television yesterday during a press conference about the Trump administration’s deal to lower the cost of some obesity drugs.
The unnamed executive was standing in a group behind the podium while Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks spoke. As he began to fall, multiple men including Dr. Mehmet Oz attempted to hold him up before he collapsed to the floor.
The Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to stop issuing passports that include gender identity markings selected by applicants.
The emergency order, which will remain in place as the case makes its way through the lower courts, marked the latest victory for President Trump before the Supreme Court.
Tesla shareholders approved a plan that could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, two days after New Yorkers elected a tax-the-rich candidate as their next mayor.
The vote followed weeks of debate over his management record at the electric car maker and whether anyone deserved such unprecedented pay, drawing heated commentary from small investors to giant pension funds and even the pope.
Tesla announced that more than 75% of shares voted in favor of the pay package during the company’s annual shareholder meeting. The vote didn’t include the 15% of the company that Musk already owns.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, 41, a conservative North Country Republican with close ties to the White House, is preparing to announce as early as today that she will run for governor next year, according to three people briefed on her plans.
The move, which is expected to be announced in a video, sets up a ferocious political battle between one of Trump’s fiercest allies and Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate Democrat. The contest is likely to be one of the key races in the 2026 crucial midterm elections.
Stefanik pounced all over Hochul’s support of Big Apple Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as conservatives warned the Democratic leader’s ties to the avowed socialist could sink her re-election hopes.
“There’s been an outpouring of support from Republicans, Democrats, independents, all across our great state,” Stefanik said during a Fox News interview. “Many Democrats who previously supported Kathy Hochul are lining up in support.”
“Kathy Hochul was fired after one term in Congress. We have overwhelmingly been elected. She’s an accidental governor, everyone knows it,” Stefanik told the NY Post, adding that her campaign will be “focused on making New York affordable” and “safe again.”
No Republican has won a statewide office in New York since former Gov. George Pataki won his final term in 2002. To build local support, Stefanik’s PAC, Save New York, has poured more than $500,000 into town, city and county races since June.
There could be a GOP gubernatorial primary next year, as this week, Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, told The New York Post that he was weighing jumping in after winning re-election.
New York politicians, including Mamdani and Hochul, made their way to Puerto Rico for the annual Somos conference.
After an impressive victory, Mayor-elect Mamdani now must find funds for his programs. His push for higher taxes puts Hochul, who faces a re-election fight, in a tough spot.
Hochul called on members of the Empire State Service Corps and other New Yorkers to take part in a statewide effort to address food insecurity as the federal government shutdown continues and concerns grow over potential disruptions in the SNAP.
Hochul has announced expanded access to compensation for individuals who have been impacted by homicide and other crimes and victimized by financial scams.
Though neither endorsed Mamdani’s run for mayor, former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden praised his “moral compass” and influence on their party in congratulatory calls after his election win this past Tuesday.
Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Democratic Party leaders made a “big mistake” by not endorsing Mamdani during the primaries.
The Anti-Defamation League is facing backlash over what critics have called unwarranted hostility toward Mamdani, after the organization publicized a website and related tip line to monitor his administration for actions that could be seen as antisemitic.
A showdown is brewing between progressive Mamdani ally Crystal Hudson and pro-Israel pol Julie Menin over who will be the next City Council speaker.
Five bedrooms. A ballroom. A full-time chef. The official mayoral residence in New York City – Gracie Mansion – could not be more different from Mamdani’s current home.
Mamdani allies, girding for a fight to implement the incoming mayor’s ambitious economic agenda, unveiled a new advocacy group designed to build pressure to pass it in New York City and Albany.
The group, Our Time for an Affordable NYC, will raise money to try to harness the energy of an army of volunteers that helped drive the huge turnout behind the mayor-elect’s win
Republican Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter is proposing to block federal funds from New York City for as long as Mamdani is mayor.
Mamdani doubled down on claiming a mandate to deliver his socialist agenda – as he revealed a rent freeze and universal childcare will be his first-year priorities.
Jamie Dimon took a thinly veiled swipe at “anti-business” Mayor-elect Mamdani — warning that the left-wing pol’s tax-and-spend agenda could “backfire” and drive big taxpayers and major companies out of the city.
Outgoing New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is leaning toward running for Congress against incumbent Dan Goldman, a move that would likely take him out of the running for a job in Mamdani’s administration.
The White House removed a social-media post that used an altered Knicks logo to mock Mamdani after the team reached out, according to Front Office Sports. The logo had been edited to read “Trump Is Your President.”
Nassau County Republicans romped at the polls Tuesday partly because a strategy to tie local Democrats to Mamdani “clearly worked” because his socialist agenda has “no allure in the suburbs,” insiders claimed.
As difficult and momentous as Mamdani’s unlikely ascent from obscure state lawmaker to mayor-elect has been, he is about to confront a fundamental political reality: Winning is one thing. Governing is quite another.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch received advance notice from the Trump administration last month that ICE agents were hours later going to conduct a controversial immigration enforcement raid along Canal Street in Manhattan.
An NYPD officer fatally shot a dog that bit the officer in Queens yesterday, after police responded to a call about two dogs chasing people on the street, according to department officials.
An amazing stranger has become the talk of the neighborhood in Gravesend, Brooklyn, where locals have been buzzing for months at the sight of a mystery daredevil soaring through the air on a parachute, propelled by a motorized fan strapped to his back.
Antonio Brown, the controversial former NFL star and former owner of the now-defunct Albany Empire arena football team, has been arrested on an attempted murder charge stemming from a May shooting following a celebrity boxing event in Miami.
Two days after winning reelection in an uncontested race, Town Supervisor James Quigley III announced his resignation in a letter to the town council last night. He did not provide a reason for his decision.
Schenectady County Undersheriff James Barrett will retire before the end of the year, marking the end of his 32-year career with the law enforcement agency, the Sheriff’s Office announced.
The RNA Institute at the University at Albany is getting a $50 million expansion to help bring more discoveries to market.
Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy vetoed the city’s $120 million 2026 budget, saying revenue estimates the City Council made to lower a tax hike in the spending plan they approved last weekend would deplete the city’s savings.
The lawyer for Lorenz Kraus, the man who admitted in a TV interview to killing his parents and burying them in the backyard of their Crestwood Court home eight years ago, is leaving the door open to a possible insanity defense in the case.
While it was a big night for Democrats across the region, in Saratoga County, Democrats saw mixed results Tuesday, losing races they expected to easily take in the city and winning big in Republican strongholds like Clifton Park, Malta and Wilton.
A pathway that allows pedestrians and cyclists to traverse over the Dunn Memorial Bridge will close for three weeks. The closure for maintenance starts Monday and will continue until Dec. 1, the state Department of Transportation announced Thursday.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
