South Shore Press Sports Director Tom Barton and Managing Editor Stefan Mychajliw spoke about the New York Knicks' championship parade, which Barton said became memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Stefan Mychajliw: Tom, let's talk about what a complete and total disaster the Knicks ticker-tape parade was.
Tom Barton: "That's the shame of it. Knicks fans waited more than 50 years for this moment. This should have been one of the great celebrations in New York sports history. Instead, all anybody is talking about are the mistakes."
Stefan Mychajliw: What stood out to you the most?
Tom Barton: "The Patrick Ewing jersey fiasco. Everybody knows No. 33 belongs to Patrick Ewing. There were probably hundreds of thousands of Ewing jerseys in the crowd. Somehow, they put up Dylan Jones' name with No. 33."
Stefan Mychajliw: And Jones never even wore No. 33 for the Knicks.
Tom Barton: "Exactly. That's what makes it so unbelievable. How many people had to approve that display? Staff members, interns, organizers, nobody caught it. Not one person stopped and said, 'Wait a minute, that's Patrick Ewing's number.'"
Stefan Mychajliw: I look at a tweet multiple times before I post it. This was hanging over City Hall.
Tom Barton: "That's why it's become such a laughingstock. It wasn't buried in a press release. It was front and center for the entire city to see."
Stefan Mychajliw: Beyond the jersey mistake, what else went wrong?
Tom Barton: "There were complaints about overcrowding, limited viewing areas, fights, and poor planning. Estimates had more than five million people there, and a lot of Knicks fans felt they couldn't even properly enjoy the celebration."
Stefan Mychajliw: So what should have been a perfect day became a controversy.
Tom Barton: "Exactly. Knicks fans deserved better. Instead of talking about a championship, people are talking about mistakes—and a Patrick Ewing jersey that somehow became Dylan Jones."