Following the Knicks‘ exit from the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, sports fans in New York were already licking their wounds.
Meanwhile, a Boston-based sports account quickly went viral with a jab that hit far deeper than a simple playoff dig.
“New York hasn’t won a major sports championship since 2011,” the post claimed, using the Knicks‘ latest failure as its springboard.
While clearly intended to mock the Knicks and rile up New York fans, the remark did more than that. It completely erased the New York Liberty‘s 2024 WNBA title and NYCFC’s 2022 MLS Cup win, both legitimate championships in widely recognized professional leagues.
To many it was a loud, tired dismissal of women’s sports and any sport outside the traditional “Big Four” men’s leagues. And the Liberty weren’t about to stay quiet.
Biles’ subtle emoji speaks louder than words
The New York Liberty quickly responded to the post with a subtle but firm clapback, quote-tweeting it with their own trophy emoji. But it was Olympic icon Simone Biles who added some heavy-weight firepower to the pushback.
Reposting the Liberty‘s response, Biles simply added a yawning face emoji.
The world’s most decorated gymnast essentially called the entire narrative tired, boring, and irrelevant. And in doing so, she tapped into a broader frustration among athletes and fans of women’s sports: the continued gatekeeping of what counts as legitimate success.
Her reaction wasn’t just about the Liberty. It was about the way so many sports wins by women continue to be minimized.
The New York Liberty‘s 2024 title wasn’t just a feel-good story. It was a historic run with massive national TV audiences, sold-out arenas, and a roster full of superstars like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.
It was a season that helped elevate the WNBA into a cultural talking point, especially alongside the rise of players such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and A’ja Wilson.
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