• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Front Office Sports Honors winners are here! View the 2025 winners

The Face of the Knicks-Celtics Rivalry Is a Long Island Battery Salesman

At the Subway Series, Karl-Anthony Towns showed off a shirt with Jason Dantona’s face from a notorious viral video on it.

Jason Dantona
Sidetalk

In 2021, a New York Knicks fan yelled “Fuck Boston” and did the “Take the L” dance from the popular video game Fortnite in a viral sidewalk interview following a double-overtime win at Madison Square Garden. Nearly four years later, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns wore a shirt with the man’s face on it to the Yankees–Mets Subway Series, just two days after eliminating the Celtics from the NBA playoffs.

“Whenever they showed him on the jumbotron I got three or four people texting me, DMing me, like, ‘Oh my gosh, KAT’s wearing your face,’” 28-year-old Jason Dantona tells Front Office Sports. “Then Twitter did its thing and blew up, and I saw pictures and videos of him wearing the shirt. It wasn’t even like he was just wearing it, he was kind of flexing it, which was really cool.”

Dantona has achieved internet fame since his original video with Sidetalk, the New York street-style interview show that has gained a loyal following on social media. It rose to prominence with videos outside MSG during the 2021 Knicks–Hawks series and may be best known 2022’s “Coney Island Ski Club,” but the clip of Dantona dancing and saying “Fuck Boston” has become part of Knicks online fandom lore. New York mayor Eric Adams even tweeted “BUCK FOSTON” after the Knicks’ blowout Game 6 win last week.

In 2024, Dantona recorded a video for Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s podcast through a Sidetalk sponsorship.

Ahead of the Knicks–Celtics meeting in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Sidetalk and Dantona slapped his face on a shirt and put them on their website for $24.99. (Dantona said he can’t say how big of a cut he gets from the shirts, and Sidetalk did not respond to questions, but he said his mother bought five of them.)

“I didn’t know that it would be a thing people would want, because I’m kind of just a normal person,” Dantona said of the shirts.

Indeed, the Long Island native is a regular fan. His day job is selling batteries for his family’s company, and he likes to golf, go to church, and watch the Knicks. He says he’s been regularly going to games at the Garden since middle school, albeit with a quick break to play college lacrosse in, ironically, the Boston area. His fun fact for the school’s athletics page was that he “Enjoys Fortnite.”

Dantona attended Game 3 of the series between the Knicks and Celtics, a 22-point blowout by Boston. He said he paid about $1,000 for his ticket, and is planning on buying a resale ticket for one or two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers. The get-in ticket price for Games 1 and 2 in New York, sat around $750 Tuesday morning.

As far as a potential Finals opponent, Dantona says he would prefer to avoid the Thunder. “I think we have a better chance against the Timberwolves, but I also would be sick to my stomach if we traded them the pieces to end up beating us in the Finals.”

A self-described “nervous fan,” Dantona said he doesn’t like to celebrate until after a game is over. He said the Pacers have good “depth and speed,” but still feels confident the Knicks will win in five or six games.

“We’re onto Indiana, so I’m not thinking about Boston anymore,” Dantona says.

“Is it ‘Fuck Indiana’ now?” FOS asks.

“It absolutely is,” he replies. “With respect, but yes, we want to take them down.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Monica Wright

WNBA Expansion Teams Still in Dark As CBA Fight Drags On

Portland and Toronto won’t know the draft rules until a CBA is signed.
Donald Trump Jr

Kalshi Advisor Donald Trump Jr. Joins Rival Polymarket Board

Polymarket appears to be on the verge of returning to the U.S.
Veronica Burton

Dildo Markets, Diaper Bidens: Polymarket, Kalshi Push Limits of Hawking Prediction Markets

The companies don’t face the same regulatory risk as traditional sportsbooks.

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.

Featured Today

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
August 22, 2025

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.

Trey Hendrickson Ends Stalemate for $14 Million Bengals Raise

The defensive end will make $30 million this season.
August 21, 2025

Amid Dream Season, Valkyries Face Potential Playoff Arena Conflict

The Valkyries are seventh in the WNBA standings.
August 22, 2025

$2B A’s Vegas Stadium Hits Milestones, on Track for 2028

Construction progress and costs pick up in the Las Vegas project.
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore
August 21, 2025

Timberwolves Lay Off Dozens After A-Rod, Lore Take Over

Rodriguez and Lore took over the Wolves and Lynx in June.
August 20, 2025

Yankees TV Ratings Swing Up 5% From 2024, 12% Higher Than Mets

The club’s local viewership improves, due largely to surges in streaming.
Bay FC
August 20, 2025

Bay FC Set to Break NWSL Attendance Record in San Francisco

NWSL players have often resisted playing at baseball stadiums.
August 19, 2025

Rockies Are No Longer on Record-Setting Path to Rock Bottom

The MLB club’s play improves considerably.