The Correlation Between Sonic the Hedgehog and the New York Knicks

Sonic the Hedgehog: a popular video game franchise of a cocky, quick-witted, free-spirited blue hedgehog who is as fast as the speed of sound and fights the forces of evil with a colorful cast of companions. The New York Knickerbockers: a professional NBA basketball team that resides in Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York City. Now you might be thinking, "What do these two things have in common? A video game mascot and a sports team aren't similar?" And you're probably right, they just seem too different from each other. It's not like they are polar opposites, but that they are just so different that it seems almost impossible for them to have similarities. They are in two totally different realms of existence. But if you are a fan of both, you start to see through the overlining aspects and can find some significant connections between the two. You come to find that a prosperous start eventually led to many miserable downfalls. You find that the ones pulling the strings and running the show are the ones that are driving these two franchises straight into the ground. You find that the loyal fans are given false hope and promises nearly every year. And you come to find that these two franchises timelines are somewhat parallel to each other.

Bright Beginnings

If we are going to talk about how it all started with these two, let's do the Knicks first, since they have been around longer. The winter of 1891 was the year that physical educator James Naismith had an idea. It was too cold for the Massachusetts boys to go outside and get active. So, Naismith decided to nail up some peach baskets indoors, got a leather ball, made some rules and regulations, and then the rest is history. The game for young boys quickly became a trend. Recreational centers and schools embraced this new game and basketball became known to all. But playing on a school team wasn't enough. Where do these kids and young men go with this talent? It was then decided that just like baseball and football, America needed a professional league for basketball. And so, on June 6, 1946, in New York, the Nation Basketball Association was born. And with it, a new team called The New York Knickerbockers (more commonly known as Knicks for short). Yeah, that's right, the Knicks are as old as the goddamn NBA. The Knicks have seen it all in the NBA. The best, the worst, wins, losses. It was only until the 70s where the Knicks began to prosper for the very first time. With Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, and Dick Barnett, Phill Jackson, under Coach William 'Red' Holzman, New York got their very first championship. And even another 3 years later. They beat out guys like Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlin, and many more. After those years, the rest of the 70s were an "iffy" time for NY. Their records were great at first, getting into the playoffs and Eastern Conference semi-finals just to be eliminated each time. Then the 80s came around and things started to look up for them again. Their records improved, Bernard King was great but were eliminated in the playoff each time they got there. Then, after a terrible season, the Knicks were placed in the NBA Draft Lottery for the very first time in 1985. And got one of the greatest players and best-known Knicks of all time with the 1st round pick, Patrick Ewing. Then the 90s came around, which was also an electric and most memorable time for New York basketball. Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, Charlie Ward, Anthony Mason, the list goes on. Coached by the famous Pat Riley, it was an unforgettable time. Did they win any championships? No. But the Garden was never truly the same after that. And for the next 2 decades, it only seemed to change for the very worst.

During all of this, and World War 2, Service Games were making coin-operated slot machines for entertainment for the war effort. After the war, the company sent employees to Japan for expansion. The company began to grow worldwide. It was then shut down when the US government found illegal business practices (which was just some good ole tax evasion). But then one of the original creators, Martin Bromley, made other companies in order to take over its assets and activities, so nothing really changed. Service Games of Japan (more commonly referred to as Sega) was bought out by other companies as time went on, but never really seemed to leave Japan. From slot machines, to photo booths, to pinball machines, to eventually, the brand-new world of video game entertainment. Competition was fierce, games were created, their famous "Sega Genesis" console was made, until the faithful day of June 23, 1991, one of the most famous video game characters to ever exist was created. In the form of an 8-bit, blue, fast hedgehog named Sonic. It was the only character to out beat the worldwide beloved, Italian, plumber, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) that we all know far too well at the time. The fast-paced and exciting gameplay was riveting. Players awed as Sonic raced to defeat Dr. Robotnik and his robot army to take over the world and stealing the mysterious and infinity powerful Chaos Emeralds was exhilarating for all. Sonic the Hedgehog was a staple of an iconic video game and video game character. And a staple of Sega's success. The only logical thing to do now is to ride this success, and they sure did. With a multitude of sequels both canon and non-canon, spinoff shows, comic book series, merchandise, and some reboots, it seemed like Sega's #1 mascot was at the top and continued to rise. But it only takes so long for something to keep rising in fame. Isaac Newton said himself, "What goes up must come down." And if Sonic was on top, there is only one other place it can go.