New York City has been lit up with excitement as its beloved New York Knicks compete in the National Basketball League (NBA) finals.
But one New Yorker's failure to endorse his home team has landed him in hot water with Knicks fans.
Elmo, the famous red puppet from Sesame Street, posted on X about the finals earlier this week. "Elmo hopes both teams have fun!," said Elmo, whose fictional Sesame Street is located in Manhattan.
Some fans are incensed at what they call "fence-sitting". "Traitor," one wrote online. The Knicks are currently winning a best-of-seven game series against the San Antonio Spurs for the championship. It is the first time the team has made it to the finals since 1999.
New Yorkers have been celebrating in the streets and at raucous bar watch parties, especially after the Knicks beat the Spurs in the first game of the series on Wednesday.
Support for the team in the most populous US city is widespread - and fans won't let Elmo forget it. Dozens of viral tweets hurling expletives at Elmo popped up after the children's character made the post.
"Elmo don't forget the streets that raised you," a Knicks fan said in one of the milder responses.
"Elmo, you can't both sides this one," another said.
Even New York City government agencies are hopping on the hate train. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) took a shot at the red puppet, comparing him to the Elmo impersonators who greet tourists in costumes in Times Square.
"Just like in Times Square, we think this Elmo is an imposter," the official NYPD account wrote.
The city's transportation department threatened to take down the official Sesame Street sign installed in Upper Manhattan under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Elmo followed up with a tongue-in-cheek message on Thursday addressing the vitriol.
"KNICKS that last message! Elmo didn't mean to SPUR you on!"
Elmo first appeared on Sesame Street in 1980 and is known for promoting kindness and unity. But he has had his fair share tussles on social media as well.
In 2022, Elmo's long-running feud with Sesame Street pet rock, Rocco, became the source of a wave of memes, most notably Elmo's frustration that his friend believes the rock could carry out human activities, like eating a cookie or going to the toilet.
Elmo also fielded a slew of sarcastic and jaded responses when he tweeted in 2024: "How is everybody doing?"
Last year, the official Elmo account was hacked, posting antisemitic messages which the makers of Sesame Street called "disgusting". Other messages posted by the hackers attacked US President Donald Trump and called for files relating to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to be released.
"Elmo's X account was compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts," a spokesperson said.
Now that he has found himself in a controversy of a different kind, Knicks fans are warning Elmo that he better be on his best behaviour - and that means, backing the team as their finals run continues.
"This is how serious NY is taking this Finals," one fan wrote online. "Elmo had to retract his statement cause the city was like you a New Yorker."
