It was the girls’ night out that everyone was talking about. On Wednesday, Taylor Swift and her longtime friends Alana and Este Haim joined Mariska Hargitay courtside at Madison Square Garden to cheer on the New York Knicks during the NBA Finals.

A lot has been written about Swift, the Haim sisters, and Hargitay wearing custom T-shirts that said “Stevie Knicks,” “Knickelback,” and “Knickole Kidman” (some of it by me, actually). But seeing Swift—who was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Tennessee, and who went to a Knicks game in late May with her fiancé, Travis Kelce, a Cavaliers fan—along with two of the three Haim sisters, who are famously associated with the Valley, joyfully losing their minds over the Knicks’ amazing Game 4 win—not to mention watching social media blow up over Jennifer Lopez’s controversial Subway comment about what makes someone a “real” New Yorker—has me thinking about what it really means to belong to a city, or to have it belong to you.

I was born in New York, but I moved to Moscow and Rome as a baby because of my parents’ jobs, and came back to New York just before I turned nine. I stayed there for the next 10 years, until I left for college, but I didn’t choose to come back to the city until my mid-20s. Strangely, it was only then, living in Prospect Heights with a group of roommates, that I felt like I was truly living in New York, not just there by chance.

I’ve lived in eight different cities and towns over my life, from Austin to Rome. While New York will always be my birthplace—and the place where my middle-school Gossip Girl books, college diploma, and worn-out Ugg boots are stored—it’s not the only place, or even the main one, I call home these days. I’ve been living in Los Angeles for the past three years. I first tried the City of Angels right after college, then left for a few years, and came back in my late 20s. With its affordable, amazing food from all over the world, plenty of swimming pools, and the quiet, friendly neighborliness that shines even in tough times, I haven’t found a city that fits me better.

I’m not the biggest sports fan (except every four years, when women’s gymnastics takes over the Summer Olympics), but I’ve cheered for the Liberty in Brooklyn, talked about the Buckeyes’ championship chances in Cleveland, had fun at Astros bars in Houston, and fallen for the Dodgers—or at least the perfect combo of Dodger Dogs and overpriced water—in Elysian Park. Until recently, I never stopped to question why I suddenly got so into these teams. Sure, some might call me a fair-weather fan for cheering wherever I end up, but it’s not really the athletes I’m into—it’s the regular people (and celebrities) whose love for them is way stronger than anything I’ve ever felt for sports. (I’ve never claimed to be devoted to anything except Miss Piggy, and maybe Andy Capp’s Hot Fries.)

In a Thursday interview with Vogue, Alana Haim called Wednesday’s Knicks-Spurs game “maybe the greatest basketball game ever played” and said about the Lakers/Knicks fan divide: “I think we can all be friends. There’s no animosity there.” I’m definitely not as obsessed with the Knicks’ current success as my friends who still live in New York, but why not let myself enjoy nice things, even from across the country?

Still, I love watching queer-girl cruising at Sparks games—and I’ll also go see the Texas Rollergirls dominate at roller derby when I’m visiting family in Austin, and follow football (or at least keep looking for the perfect vintage football cardigan) when I’m in Ohio for a college reunion. In my opinion, none of this makes me a bandwagoner or some kind of sports fake—it’s just called having range, baby!

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs covering the unique combination of Taylor Swift HAIM the New York Knicks and the guilty pleasure of supporting whichever city you like

Taylor Swift HAIM

BeginnerLevel

Q Are Taylor Swift and HAIM actually friends or is it just a business thing
A They are genuine friends Theyve been seen hanging out going to dinner and supporting each others shows for years It started with HAIM opening for Taylor on the 1989 tour

Q What songs have Taylor Swift and HAIM done together
A They have two official collaborations no body no crime and Gasoline Taylor also joined HAIM on stage to sing Love Story and The Wire

Q Is HAIM a band or a solo artist
A HAIM is a band made up of three sisters Este Danielle and Alana Haim They play their own instruments and write their own songs

AdvancedLevel

Q How does HAIMs musical style influence Taylor Swifts recent albums
A HAIMs softrock and 70s80s poprock sound heavily influenced the folklore and evermore eras The collaborative familylike writing sessions with Aaron Dessner helped Taylor move away from pure pop into a more indiefolk and altrock space

Q Why did Taylor and HAIM choose to do a sister revenge song like no body no crime
A It was a fun narrative idea Alana Haim has said they wanted to write a classic murdermystery country song and Taylor loved the concept of the three sisters helping her get revenge It plays on the reallife dynamic of the Haim sisters having each others backs

Q How do the Haim sisters feel about being called Taylors backup band
A Theyve been very clear that they are a band first While they love Taylor they dislike the term backup band They see themselves as collaborators and friends and they are fiercely proud of their own threealbum catalog

New York Knicks Supporting