I’m not a big football fan, but I am from New York so this meditation is concerned with GIANTS in honor of the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
Giants are a specific category of monster and any creature that is ‘supersized’ can also be called ‘gigantic.’ Giants are also powerful — not bad for a football team.
But how did the New York Football Giants get their name?
It started with the baseball Giants of New York. In 1883, John Day and Jim Mutrie founded the National League team The New York Gothams. Two years later on June 3, 1885, after a spectacular extra-inning win against Philadelphia, Jim Mutrie was overcome with emotion and called his team ‘Giants.’ The nickname stuck and eventually the Gothams became the New York Giants.
When Tim Mara purchased his football team in 1925 (for a reported $500) he borrowed the name Giants for his team. This wasn’t unusual in the 1920s and 30s when football was nowhere near as popular as it is today. (There were NFL teams called the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, etc.).
It pays to have a baseball-loving father when you are looking for answers about sports.
Enjoy the Super Bowl!
Well let’s hope the Giants are powerful enough to beat those giant players of the Patriots! Very interesting info from your father about how the team names came about – it sure does explain some things.
Speaking of monsters/giants it reminds me of how far football has come in terms of the size of their players. No longer are the days of the slow 200 pound linemen for example. They are now heavier, leaner, stronger and faster than ever before. Talent is just one part of being an NFL player – it’s also about their “measurables” (just a little NFL speak there) which is the players physical stats. The only thing that really differentiates those “monster giants” from others is that most of the NFL “player giants” make an enormous amount of money – now that can be disturbing and scary!
GO BIG BLUE!
Yes… what’s scarier GIGANTIC men crashing into one another or their GIGANTIC salaries? Certainly makes the rest of us feel like lilliputians. My baseball fanatic father took me to a number of football games when I was growing up. I remember the college games at the Merchant Marine Academy and one particular Jets Game. The guys on the field from the Merchant Marine Academy LOOKED big to me, but I was a kid. They probably look like children in comparison to NFL players. The football Giants are, really, giants in the monster sense.
Great arguement below and also absolutely a brand way to think about this.
New York is celebrating The Giants with a monstrous parade through the canyon of heros. Heroes and Monsters…. Monsters and Heroes…
Another Monster Meditation topic in the making.
thanks!
Only fitting to have a parade of Giants and Monsters in Gotham City!