On the basis of some of the things that I’ve written here and elsewhere, I’ve been accused of being a Sexton “loyalist.”
Those who make that accusation don’t know me very well.
In particular, they fail to see just how a great a test of my cosmopolitan principles it is each time that I engage in conversation with Sexton.
Cosmopolitanism, as I repeatedly argue to anyone who will listen, is all about conversations across cultural and ideological boundaries, conversations that are often difficult because they require you to confront principles and beliefs that are sometimes radically different from your own.
That’s the way it is with Sexton and me. There’s a vast ideological gap that separates us.
I’m not talking about social status or the great difference between our places in the general scheme of things at NYU.
I’m not talking about the fact that he’s a deeply religious person, and I’m not.
I’m talking about two simple facts.
He’s a Yankees fan. A diehard Yankees fan.
And I’m a Mets fan. A diehard Mets fan.
Moreover, from my perspective Sexton is the worst kind of apostate, a childhood fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers who turned his back on the pure faith of the National League to embrace the enemy — the Yankees — and their heretic league with its designated hitter rule.
Now that is an ideological gulf.
To be continued …
[John Sexton speaking at NYU's 2009 Commencement ceremony at Yankee Stadium. Courtesy of nyu.edu]
