In June 2022, New York City was chosen along with ten other American cities as potential hosts for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The host city of that game will be announced any day now and Mayor Eric Adams is desperate to claim this victory. Adams, however, has already lost in the eyes of many, as he's given away the playing fields of New York's children to serve illegal immigrants.
Randall's Island is home to the fields for the children of New York. This is where the kids play soccer, baseball, run track and get exercise. But a bunch of those fields, and the playing time that comes with them, are being given away to become housing for people who should not be in the city in the first place.
Now Adams is touting the glory of potentially hosting the World Cup—but he can't even host the children of the city.
The month-long event would be an automatic injection of cash for an administration with zero regard for blowing through any funds they get their hands on. And it would be a distraction from the hellscape they've allowed the city to descend into.
"The biggest sporting event in the world is coming to the biggest stage, and New York City cannot wait to welcome the world to our region," oozed Mayor Adams when he announced the latest triumph.
Having New York City as a contender, however, is a sham of epic proportions. FIFA demands that host cities show a commitment to a soccer culture for children in their community. Adams has done the opposite.
On FIFA's website, Centre for Sports and Human Rights, the header reads: Child Rights and the FIFA World Cup 2026. Among the rights listed are "child participation… [and] 'best interests,'" which "means that in all actions concerning children the best interests of the child is a primary consideration."
Yet Adams, self-declared health-nut and vegan, has forfeited New York City kids' soccer fields - to house illegal immigrants. Adams sacrificed Randall's Island Park—"specifically turf fields 82-83-84-85—the most accessible and some of the most utilized and popular fields on the Island—representing 32,000 sq feet" and 3,000 hours of playing time, to become a tent city for illegal immigrants who pour into the city at a rate of 10,000 per month.
Adams' decision is particularly cruel as there are myriad other options—and not just the military base that Governor Kathy Hochul proposed and Biden rejected.
Pre-pandemic, urban kids were handicapped compared to suburban kids when it came to sports. There just wasn't anywhere for them to run around. New York City is cramped, desperate for fields, courts, and stadiums. Real estate constraints result in many kids playing sports in neighboring states. Travel is expensive and time consuming for parents, especially those that are divorced or with multiple kids. And these are the fortunate ones that can manage the logistical nightmare.
The government response to Covid in New York, first under Bill de Blasio then Adams, was particularly cruel and idiotic—even for Democrat leaders. New York kids were masked longer than most, with toddlers masked through June 2022. Many Big Apple schools still have weird Covid policies in place. Adams' prolonged shutdowns and weakness to get schools and sports leagues to actually follow the science meant kids played little to no sports.
Once the fields opened, it was a godsend for kids and parents.
Now in the summer of 2023, after giving the double barrel to New York City taxpayers vis-a-vis illegal immigrants, Adams sinks to a new low. He's violated the human rights pledge agreed to under the FIFA World Cup's very own guidelines. Adams has screwed over more than 4 million children who call New York City home, threatening their safety, services, and "playing time."
An ironic parallel from the Democrat party that pretends to champion women, children and sports is this—it has hobbled them due to woke ideology. The United States Women's international soccer team knocked themselves out of the tournament on August 7th—perhaps because they spent not enough time focused on the sport but rather on openly hating America.
Now, New York City kids' sports prospects are threatened. Moreover, as the Adams administration looks to "diversify" and promote "equity," he keeps bungling and hurting the groups he tries to give preferential treatment to. Soccer is the most popular team sport among Hispanic kids; 40 percent play.
New York City parents are outraged by Adams. "As a World Cup 2026 host, a commitment to the rights of children and their opportunity to participate in sports was made. Within 48 hours, Adams removed 32,000 square feet of playing space and 3,000 hours of playing time right as the fall soccer season was to begin," Shannon Edward, co-founder, Families for New York said.
"All to prioritize the needs of 2,000 illegal men which the Biden administration noted in its data will be denied asylum at a rate of nearly 70 percent," she continued. "There's no better example than our city showing utter disdain for a commitment made to children once the ink on the FIFA contract was dry."
Parents are mobilizing. We're planning a protest but, more importantly, two deeper cuts to the Adams administration. First, we call on FIFA to demand that Adams remove the illegal immigrants from Randall's Island. Second, UberEats enables illegal immigrants by hiring them and we call on those across America to boycott this company on behalf of New York City kids.
Finally, to all the sports leagues and schools that have been busy sending out emails and petitions to sign, do us a favor. Stop gaslighting us by referring to illegal immigrants as "migrants" and "asylum seekers." You aren't helping your cause by distorting the reality and intentionally softening the image of illegal immigrants, likening them to be as innocent as the children you are asking parents to unite behind.
