Aaron Judge’s infamous ball drop seems to be still haunting the Yankees fans! It was a one-of-a-kind moment, unexpected from someone like Judge, but that incident is getting blamed as the sole reason for the Yankees to lose the World Series to the Dodgers. The legendary status of Aaron Judge, primarily due to his regular season performance, is now at stake due to his postseason failure. Debates are on about whether Judge is still the king of NY sports!

Well, the stats Aaron Judge boasts make him a leading sports personality from New York, but his reign seems to be under speculation, with many fans ridiculing his postseason failures. A recent poll conducted offers a rather surprising picture of sports fans opting for Jalen Brunson over Judge as the new king of New York Sports. Now, Judge was long considered the reigning king of the New York sports community considering his achievements and how he became a brand himself in MLB. Starting his career in 2016, Judge already completed nine years playing for the New York Yankees.

Moreover, Judge’s illustrious career includes 6x All-Star and 3x All-MLB First Team. This year, he has been selected as Topps Baseball Series 1 cover athlete and MVP of the 2024 AL in MLB. Well, with such achievements, he is more than eligible to be the king of New York sports and was uncontended all these years. However, his inability to get a World Series ring all these years and his drop-ball last year made the fans question his crown, and here’s where NBA star Jalen Brunson comes in.

The undisputed fandom of Aaron Judge all these years is now under turmoil; at least, a recent poll over the microblogging site X is pointing so. Brunson plays for the New York Knicks in the NBA and is considered one of the only six Knicks players to achieve at least 40 points and 10 assists in a regular-season game. However, similar to Judge, Brunson is yet to win a championship for his team. It is just his recent performance that won him the Player of the Month award last March, which makes many fans put him ahead of Judge.  

Are fans still unhappy over Aaron Judge’s WS blunder?

Taking to the microblogging site X, a poll is conducted to check whom the fans consider the king of NY sports between Judge and Brunson. The result is surprising, where 46% of votes went for Judge while 54% went for Brunson. One fan shared that the Yankees are a top-tier team in MLB, and winning the World Series is the basic standard for them. Hence, Judge’s inability to win the same is getting highlighted more over his above-par individual stats last year, while the Knicks are not known for consistent winning that Brunson is doing now.

Another sports enthusiast remarked about how NY gets represented by the Yankees and Mets in MLB, and that might be a reason for the low vote count for Judge. Also, the fan highlighted how Brunson is better performing in the postseason, unlike Judge pointing to the Yankees’s haunting last year’s World Series loss. For the unversed, since Brunson joined the Knicks in 2022, the team went to playoffs three times starting in 2023. A good credit goes to Brunson here.

A user countered the narrative against Judge. He highlighted that Aaron Judge is the face of the entire MLB and how he is a brand, while Brunson hasn’t achieved such status as of now. Hence, till the time someone is achieving the status of Judge, he will be the king of NY sports. Well, Judge is currently one of the biggest brands in the entire MLB circuit albeit the fact that both Judge and Brunson get approximately $40 million per year. However, it is Judge who is more well-known in the American sports community.

Another rational counter pointed out the difference in individual achievement between Judge and Brunson, with one user commenting that it will take time for someone like Brunson to achieve the same as Judge. Well, Judge is 2x AL MVP, while Brunson has yet to get the same, proving that Judge holds more value in the MLB circuit compared to Brunson in the NBA.

Another fan highlighted the same postseason debacle of Judge to consider Brunson superior. He points out how Brunson shows up in the playoffs, unlike Judge. The postseason performance seems to continue to haunt the Yankees in the coming time. This again proves that while Judge’s value is considered superior to Brunson’s, the Yankees fans are still over from his last year’s blunder and making their voice known by putting Brunson over him.

Judge’s blunder last year not only stripped the Yankees of the World title but also his crown as the king of NY sports. Aaron Judge is undoubtedly a legend in all ways, and maybe, 2025 is that year of Judge’s bound for glory. What do you think about Judge being the king of NY sports? Share your thoughts with us below.