Empire Writes Back
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Dear New York Islanders fans (and sports fans in general)…stop burning jerseys

By Geoff Magliocchetti

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: John Tavares (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: John Tavares (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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An open letter to New York Islanders fans in the wake of the recent free agent news.

Dear New York Islanders fans (and all sports fans in general),

I understand the past few days have been difficult. The face of the franchise, one of the few reasons your team has remained relevant over the past two decades, otherwise referred to as John Tavares, has moved on. His childhood dream, to join the Toronto Maple Leafs, is your nightmare. An offseason that was going relatively well, featuring a strong draft and the most recent Stanley Cup champion coach landing right into the team’s lap, now feels all for naught, as Tavares was the one who was supposed to benefit most from  this Islander revolution, one that could’ve taken tri-state area hockey supremacy away from the hated New York Rangers.

Right now, there are still a million thoughts and feelings going through your heads. Some of you are grateful for the time Tavares spent in New York, others feel betrayed by his departure. Further legions of fans understand why Tavares departed, and a select few are hopeful that the team can survive under the guidance of new general manager Lou Lamoriello.

There’s plenty of rational responses for you as a fan to display as you get used to seeing Tavares clad in a new shade of blue. In fact, there are very few responses that aren’t rational in this case.

One of them is burning your replica of Tavares’ jersey.

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To be fair, Islanders fans, you’re nowhere the near the first sports fans to employ this hooligan tactic. The tradition probably dates back to 2010, as the streets of Cleveland resembled the final hours of Troy when LeBron James skipped town for the first time, his nationally televised “Decision” prompting citizens to set his Cavaliers-adorned tank top ablaze. Now, whenever a popular player dares leave for a better opportunity, the lighters and torches come out in full force. Those clad in the blue and orange have, unfortunately, joined in the inferno when it comes to Tavares, and it raises several questions that go for anyone who has taken a can of light fluid to a sports jersey.

First off, what exactly does burning a jersey accomplish? It’s not like Tavares, or any other athlete who has seen his threads burned, is going to see his former fans engaging in this silliness and go “Gee, that guy’s burning my jersey. Now I have no choice but to come back!” It’s a pointless, destructive exercise. Perhaps nothing symbolizes the “first world problem” trope more than setting a $200 garment on fire and thinking this is going to change any course of events. If the departure of an athlete doing the best thing for himself and his family is the biggest problem in your life, count your lucky stars every night.

Speaking of the price, jerseys aren’t cheap. Yes, there are several outlets where authentic uniforms can be purchased on the cheap, but why torch a jersey when some less fortunate, but perhaps more grateful, can make use of it? If you can’t/don’t want to donate, why not try to get at least some your investment back by selling it? There are probably plenty of Maple Leaf fans in need of a Tavares sweater, even if it contains the famous Islander roundel. The internet is a place where you can place your unwanted goods on an infinite number of websites, and someone will be willing to shell out some currency for it. When you light the jersey on fire, an indeterminate amount of money, normally in the hundreds, goes down with it. Make some of that back instead of literally burning your cash.

The anger you show toward Tavares is misdirected in the jersey burning. Yes, Tavares probably could’ve given the Islanders a better idea of his plans, but at the end of the day, it was his decision, and he chose the team with the better chance of getting him to the conference finals for the first time in his career. The anger toward Tavares should more be directed toward Islanders management, a group that failed to surround Tavares with legitimate help for a majority of his New York tenure. The Islanders would go through some stretches where they weren’t sure where they were going to play their home games, much less know who their starting goaltender was. Maybe a case could be made that Tavares could’ve stuck around to see what Lamoriello and his group was up to, but the star winger, set to turn 28 in September, doesn’t have time to be patient. Garth Snow‘s name may no longer be on a jersey, but the anger should be directed to him rather than Tavares, who single handedly might’ve kept the Islanders relevant for a long time.

What if, and this could be a long-shot, Tavares comes back? You can’t piece the ashes back together if Tavares decides to end his career with the team that drafted him. Heck, if the Islanders keep at their current pace, a Tavares sweater may be one of the few acceptable articles of clothing in Uniondale/Brooklyn/Belmont. Do you really want to lose a priceless piece of Islander history to a momentary lapse in judgement?

Finally, and perhaps the most creative solution yet, Tavares’ departure is a tremendous character building exercise. Got a roll of duct tape? Scrub out the Tavares name plate and sub in Islander legend Butch Goring, the only other bearer of the number 91 in team history. Worried about the “C” patch that Goring never wore? Get some more duct tape to cover the “1”, and you got yourself a free Clark Gillies thread. There are an infinite number of solution to dealing with this problem. None of them are probably going to lead to a Stanley Cup any time soon, but they’re far more constructive than resembling Beavis in your anger-induced rage.

Next: All is not lost Isles fans

So, in conclusion, there’s nothing wrong with being a sports fan at all. Crack open a Molson at puck drop. Root, root, root, for the home team, wherever they’re going to play. But leave the matches and lighter fluid at home.

Best regards,

Geoff Magliocchetti

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