New Yorkers were angry Sunday night after the Empire State Building celebrated the New England Patriots’ victory. The famous building lit up in red, white, and blue right after the AFC Championship game. This upset many locals because the Patriots are longtime rivals of both the New York Jets and the New York Giants.
The Patriots beat the Denver Broncos 10-7 to reach the Super Bowl. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye led the team to the big game, set for February 8, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The building’s official X account posted a video showing the lights with the message: “Santa Clara bound! Shining in @Patriots colors in honor of their AFC Championship win.”
Many New York residents called the display a “disgrace” and some even called the building a “traitor.” The celebration highlighted the historic rivalry between New York and Boston sports teams. According to The Daily Mail, frustrated fans flooded social media asking city officials to stop the celebrations.
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The backlash shows how the tradition keeps upsetting New York fans
“Wait, is this a joke? You are in New York! You think if the Jets won they would be lighting buildings up in green in Boston? I feel like I’m having a stroke,” one angry fan wrote. “You really need to terminate this contract with the NFL. The Johnson’s and Mara’s can’t just pay you to NOT night up in rival colors? They I am sure can match whatever the NFL is paying you,” another commented.
The Empire State Building has a long tradition of lighting up for US sports teams’ victories across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, no matter where the team is from. If the Broncos had won the snowy AFC Championship game, the building would have shown orange lights instead. Similar controversies have erupted in other sports, like when hockey fans expressed outrage over team decisions following sensitive moments.
This isn’t the first time the tradition caused problems. The building previously lit up in green and white for the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFC Championship wins in recent years. This sparked outrage because the Eagles are division rivals of the Giants, and Philadelphia has its own strong rivalry with New York.
The backlash over the Eagles was so strong in 2023 that the New York governor had to speak about it publicly. She explained on social media that the state government has no control over the Empire State Building’s color choices. This means the city cannot easily stop the tradition. In professional sports, athletes often make their intentions clear when dealing with contract situations and team decisions.
The game itself was a tough, low-scoring match. New England fell behind 7-0 in Denver but made a key fourth-down stop near their own end zone to start their comeback. Christian Gonzalez intercepted Jarrett Stidham, who was playing for injured Bo Nix, deep in Patriots territory with just over two minutes left.
The Patriots won their first playoff game in Denver when Maye ran for 7 yards late in the fourth quarter. Under new coach Mike Vrabel, New England became only the third team in Super Bowl history to win a conference championship with 10 points or less.
Published: Jan 26, 2026 03:45 pm