Fun City: John Lindsay, Joe Namath, and How Sports Saved New York in the 1960s

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“Coming events cast their shadows before.” -Thomas Campbell, Scottish poet

On January 1, 1966, New York came to a standstill as the city’s transit workers went on strike. This was the first day on the job for Mayor John Lindsay. He would approach the transit shutdown with the sort of dynamic problem solving that would be his hallmark. He ignored the cold and walked four miles, famously declaring, “I still think it is a fun city.”

As Lindsay juggled his city’s repeated crises, the sporting scene saw tremendous upheaval. On one hand, the venerable Yankees—who had won 15 pennants in an 18-year span before 1965—and the NFL’s powerhouse Giants suddenly went into a level of decline neither had known for generations. But on the other, the fall of the city’s sports behemoths was accompanied by the rise of anti-establishment outsiders— there were Joe Namath and the Jets, as well as the shocking triumph of the Amazin’ Mets, who won the 1969 World Series after spending the franchise’s first seven seasons losing 737 ballgames.

The overlap of these two worlds in the 1960s—Lindsay’s politics and the reemerging sports landscape—serves as the backbone of “Fun City.” It is a story of a thrilling time in New York sports, set against the backdrop of a remarkable and often difficult time for the city, culturally and socially.

Join us on Thursday, January 21 for “Fun City.” RSVP required to attend.

Autographed and personalized copies of “Fun City” will be available for purchase. The author will sign only books purchased in the Clubhouse.

Sean Deveney has been a writer and editor at “The Sporting News” since 1999, covering all aspects of sports. He has helped author four books, including “The Original Curse” and “Before Wrigley Became Wrigley.”