The New York Yankees are headed to the World Series again for the first time since 2009, and while Game 1 will be held in Los Angeles on Friday, the first game in The Bronx will take place on Monday.
Mayor Eric Adams will most likely watch from home, he told THE CITY on Tuesday.
“COIB don’t allow you to do that,” he said, referring to the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board.
“Listen, you’d be surprised how stringent they are right now on being able — last year, the year before when we wanted to go to the Yankees games, if you wanted to sit in a box. They got the rules, they state how it’s done.”
Adams said he could always buy his own ticket — which are going for more than $1,200 each on StubHub — but will probably watch at home with his 29-year-old son, Jordan Coleman.
“Jordan and I will grab some popcorn, put on our Yankees caps, and call it a day,” he said. “He’s a Yankees fan, I’m a Mets fan.”
Mayors throughout the city’s history have attended sporting and other events, although there have been changes to the ethics ruling over the last 20 years.
Under the Valuable Gift Rule, found in Chapter 68 of the New York City Charter, city employees “are not permitted to accept a gift worth $50 or more from any person or firm that you know, or should know, does, or intends to do, business with the city.”
While that rule has been in place for decades, COIB put out an advisory opinion on the issue in 2008 after receiving multiple requests related to lawmakers attending the U.S. Open, which is held every year inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
“It may, however, be part of the official duties of certain high-ranking officials to attend such special events as World Series games, the Tony and Grammy awards, or Broadway opening nights that focus national attention on New York City and promote commerce and tourism,” the ruling 16 years ago found.
Meanwhile, Adams is currently under federal investigation for, among other things, an alleged “quid pro quo” with the Turkish government, receiving gifts like flight upgrades in exchange for assistance in opening a Manhattan high-rise.
Then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Boston Red Sox fan, attended game three of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. It was the only matchup the Mets won that year as they played the Kansas City Royals for the Commissioner’s Trophy.
De Blasio purchased his own ticket, he told THE CITY in a text message Tuesday.
Billionaire former Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a Yankees season ticket holder in 2009, the last time the team claimed the title — and still is, according to his spokesperson Stu Loeser.
Former Gov. David Paterson got himself into hot water when he attended Game 1 of that years’ World Series at Yankee Stadium alongside two aides, his son and his son’s friend.
An ethics investigation found Paterson asked for the tickets — and did not perform any official duty there. He testified in front of a state ethics panel months later, and he was then accused of falsely testifying under oath.
In December 2010, he was fined a record $62,125 penalty, just days before he left office but was never brought up on perjury charges.
There were five World Series in the city under former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani — a rabid Yankees fan — including a Subway Series in 2000.
On Tuesday, Adams reflected on some of the city’s biggest sports wins, noting the “Mets had a good run.”
And while he didn’t attend any of the WNBA final games, he said he was looking forward to Thursday’s ticker-tape parade for the New York Liberty, who won the WNBA championship on Sunday.
City Hall will host the post-parade festivities.
“It really shows how New York, the resiliency, the drive, the commitment, the dedication, it says a lot,” Adams said.
