Ralph Macchio details love for Islanders, NY sports and whether ‘Karate Kid’ is a sports movie - The Athletic

When Ralph Macchio is astatine a sporting lawsuit and hears “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito blasting done the speakers, helium has a bully thought what’s coming next. His look volition look connected the video board, and past he’ll person to bash thing to pump up the crowd.

“It’s met with specified a roar of fandom,” the prima of the “Cobra Kai” tv bid and “The Karate Kid” movies said.

Macchio doesn’t fell from these moments. He relishes them, and helium doesn’t look to bask them for egotistical reasons. It’s mostly due to the fact that of the transportation he’s capable to make among the fans who attraction astir him and the quality he’s played. This is simply a taxable of his publication “Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me,” successful which Macchio discusses however landing the relation to play Daniel LaRusso successful the 1984 classical “The Karate Kid” did truthful overmuch for him and others who recovered communal crushed with the movie and its themes. The publication was released past week.

Thanks to everyone who has already pre-ordered WAXING ON! The effect has been amazing! Early reviews are starting to travel in! @kirkusreviews: “Macchio’s sweet, nostalgic memoir is arsenic family-friendly and instructive arsenic its inspiration.” https://t.co/7tB5fAlFjm pic.twitter.com/SMuluzlV1U

— Ralph Macchio (@ralphmacchio) July 28, 2022

The 60-year-old Macchio — a monolithic Islanders instrumentality who went to their play opener the nighttime earlier this interrogation — took clip to speech to The Athletic astir his narration with that team, his narration with New York City sports teams and however “Cobra Kai,” a streaming amusement connected Netflix that’s a continuation of “The Karate Kid” and conscionable aired Season 5, has figured retired a mode to weave sports into its show. Macchio additionally weighed successful connected a longtime statement of whether “The Karate Kid” is so a sports movie.

(Questions and answers person been edited for clarity and length.)

How heavy is your narration with the Islanders? Do you cognize Jon Ledecky oregon anyone other astir the team?

I do. I was conscionable with (Ledecky astatine the play opener). We don’t conscionable connected Fridays for poker, but they cognize me, I cognize them. They cognize I’m a fan. I enactment the team. I did thing with the opening ceremonial … it’s conscionable fun. I emotion the caller arena. It’s truly fantastic. This is benignant of, like, the existent archetypal season. Last play was hard due to the fact that it wasn’t finished yet, and past (several players caught) COVID-19, and we had a unspeakable commencement and ne'er got retired of it. But hopefully, brighter quality for the aboriginal and (they) get backmost into the playoffs. That was fun, 2 seasons agone (when they made the Stanley Cup semifinals). That was a blast.

How has your narration with the Islanders grown from conscionable being a instrumentality arsenic a kid to being shown connected the video board? Was that happening actively successful the ’80s and ’90s also, oregon is this much of a caller phenomenon? How has this developed?

I would accidental for the ’90s, archetypal of all, determination weren’t immoderate (video boards), and you ne'er saw video images successful the ’80s connected the scoreboard, astatine slightest to my recollection. Certainly not astatine the Nassau Coliseum. We were not astatine the forefront of exertion astatine the aged barn. So, it was aboriginal on, and erstwhile they could amusement clips, I would perceive “(You’re) the Best Around,” and I would cognize successful a 2nd I would beryllium up connected the scoreboard — and much truthful recently. But adjacent earlier “Cobra Kai,” it would happen.

In the aboriginal 2000s, anytime I would beryllium astatine a crippled and they would cognize I was astatine the game, that small camera feline would kneel down successful front, and I knew it was coming. I would ever counsel with my son, my girl and my wife; I’d beryllium like, “How’s my hair? How bash I look, due to the fact that I’m going up?” Now it’s met with specified a roar of fandom with the kids due to the fact that of “Cobra Kai.” That’s what’s truthful astonishing astir that amusement and what I constitute successful my memoir successful my book: The uniqueness is thing that is adjacent parts nostalgia yet modern relevance. I tin speech astir that astir 40-year travel successful those shoes and what it’s been like. That’s what, hopefully, radical grasp onto. It’s a truthful speech astir what it’s been similar for me.

Mark your 📅. 12/23 is @ralphmacchio #bobblehead night.

Get your 🎫 present @ https://t.co/P4jFH0uTOD #AllForIsles pic.twitter.com/oaJXBB6PEa

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 25, 2016

You’re talking astir the travel successful the ’90s erstwhile you’re shown connected TV. There are radical calved successful the ’80s who are cheering. Now you spell connected the video board, and determination are 10-year-olds to 50-year-olds cheering. I was listening to Martin Kove connected Rich Eisen’s show, and helium was talking astir however “Cobra Kai” spans truthful galore ages.

It truly does. I get a batch of parents who say, “Thanks for giving maine thing I tin ticker with my kids.” You’re the astir uncool idiosyncratic connected the satellite to your kids erstwhile they get to a definite age. Now “Cobra Kai” makes everybody cool. They’ll beryllium and ticker “The Karate Kid,” oregon sometimes, the kids volition backmost themselves into the archetypal movie franchise. Some cognize the movie franchise and ticker the show, but some, it’s their favourite show. They ticker it and their friends are like, “Wait a second, this is wherever it starts?” That’s truly benignant of precise unique. I constitute to that, arsenic well. It’s truly a four-quadrants amusement arsenic they telephone it. It’s fathers and sons and mothers and daughters, grandparents and kids each getting a small thing retired of that portion of entertainment.

What was your thought erstwhile you saw Martin Kove (John Kreese from “Cobra Kai” and “The Karate Kid”) partying with the Stanley Cup connected Instagram? Have you seen that?

I have. I really person to notation that (to him), too. We haven’t spoken astir it. I don’t cognize if he’s been to capable hockey games to person had the privilege to enactment with the Stanley Cup. But, it’s great. Listen, I americium a hockey fan. I’ve ever been a hockey instrumentality with the Islanders and the dynasty squad of my puerility with 4 consecutive Stanley Cups. I, truthful often, tally into radical that don’t get it. They’re like, “What? Hockey? Why hockey?” Especially from the West Coast, oregon whatever. Anytime it tin beryllium brought to the attraction of the masses and if John Kreese, aka Martin Kove, gets to bash that, I’m cheering for it.

I saw a representation of him with Jacob Bertrand (Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz connected “Cobra Kai”) and Gianni DeCenzo (Demetri Alexopoulos connected “Cobra Kai”) at a Flames game. And immediately, my caput went to, “Are they filming ‘Cobra Kai’ successful Calgary now? What is going on?”

They were doing a Comic-Con successful Calgary. These comic conventions person go specified a large spot to beforehand and appear. “Cobra Kai” and “The Karate Kid,” certainly. “Cobra Kai” is close successful that wheelhouse. Even though it’s similar not a superhero, “Star Trek” oregon “Star Wars,” it has that benignant of fandom. Calgary supposedly has a large one. When you spell into town, they connection you things to do. If you spell to Chicago, it’s tickets to the Cubs. If you spell to Dallas, it’s a Cowboys game. You effort to clip it out, truthful I deliberation that’s what they mightiness person been doing astatine that time. But I’m the existent hockey feline connected the “Cobra Kai” show. It’s not adjacent close.

I was going to inquire astir that and however they weave hockey into “Cobra Kai.” I deliberation it was Season 2 erstwhile you and the Robby Keene quality (played by Tanner Buchanan) were grooming retired successful the woods, and you said thing like, “I person got to get the (Devils) score.” 

It makes consciousness due to the fact that LaRusso, the character, is from New Jersey, truthful helium would beryllium a Devils fan! And Macchio is from Long Island, truthful I’m an Islanders fan. The writers of the amusement bask that. One of our writers is simply a large Philadelphia Flyers fan. As a substance of fact, we had a stake determination successful the play erstwhile the Flyers played the Islanders successful the archetypal pandemic playoffs, and the Islanders bushed them. The stake was the different idiosyncratic had to deterioration the different (team’s) jersey to the archetypal time of shooting connected Season 4, and helium showed up successful the Islanders jersey.

There is simply a hockey country successful Season 4 of “Cobra Kai” wherever LaRusso is confronted by 4 hockey guys, and helium has to instrumentality them each down, and Johnny Lawrence, Billy Zabka’s character, conscionable sets them up for a small spot of a strike-first element, wherever I larn a acquisition from the “Johnny Lawrence School.” We’re astatine a minor-league hockey game, and you person to instrumentality retired 5 guys. Really amusive scene. I’ve ever wanted to bring that to the Islanders crippled — oregon to immoderate hockey crippled — and enactment it connected the scoreboard.

It’s astir fighting, truthful I don’t deliberation the NHL wants to beforehand that portion of it. Back successful the day, you could marque a movie each astir fighting. Hockey is conscionable a large sport. I mean, the warring portion is not what I find great. The contention and the fluidity, the velocity of the game, the execution and athleticism … it’s awesome. We’ve got writers who emotion it, and myself, truthful that’s wherefore it gets peppered into the “Cobra Kai” world. Equally, there’s a Keith Hernandez bobblehead connected my table astatine LaRusso Auto.

Before that occurrence aired, I hadn’t watched it yet, and idiosyncratic texted maine and said, “Look for the bobblehead connected LaRusso’s desk.”

Jon Hurwitz, 1 of our writers and creators of “Cobra Kai,” is simply a monolithic Mets fan, truthful that was his doing. I threw retired the archetypal transportation (at a Mets game) during Season 1, erstwhile the amusement was connected YouTube, I deliberation the time aft it came out. Zabka was down the plate, and I was connected the mound, and I threw a high, extracurricular one. Thankfully, he’s implicit 6 feet tall, truthful helium snagged it and made maine not look similar a fool. It was a bully partnership. So, the archetypal transportation astatine the Mets game, that was fun.

Have immoderate players slid into your DMs conscionable to archer you however overmuch they similar the show? I cognize determination was the happening with the Capitals, which indispensable person been conscionable surreal. What was that like?

That was crazy. They gave retired the “Cobra Kai” headband to the violative subordinate of the game, and they gave the Miyagi-Do headband to the antiaircraft subordinate of the game, and they did it the full 2020-21 play with (coach Peter Laviolette).

Pain does not beryllium successful this dojo.#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/xONJnNyZVh

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 15, 2021

Ex-Islanders coach!

It felt similar they’ve each been ex-Islander coaches. They conscionable rhythm through. But yeah, that’s right. That was cool. I really did a flip backmost to the Washington Capitals, their broadcast. They had maine on, but I inactive supported my (Islanders) fandom. The Mets did a small crossover happening a mates of weeks ago. It was really a unspeakable game; they mislaid to the Cubs. They were swept by the Cubs. Everyone talks astir being swept by the Braves astatine the extremity of the season. But being swept by the Braves, they’re an elite team. Being swept by the Cubs, that’s wherever you mislaid your (division pb astatine the) extremity of your season.

But it was Islanders Night astatine Citi Field. Josh Bailey and Adam Pelech and Ross Johnston, a mates of (other) guys were there. It was amusive to instrumentality pictures with Bailey’s kids and speech a small spot astir the upcoming play portion I was astatine a Mets game. So, I had 2 of my teams. My Jets are doing OK for what the (NFL) predictions were, truthful we’ll spot however that goes. It’s fun, I bask sports. I bask them with my son, my family. It’s New York. It’s what’s grounded me.

I was conscionable talking to idiosyncratic antecedently astir however I ne'er benignant of slipped down the slippery slope of drugs, intoxicant and problems similar that during the thin years oregon during the times wherever it gets truthful successful your face, and however I avoided it. I said, “Because my sports teams were doing good truthful I wanted to spell backmost to New York to spell to the game.” Maybe that’s what kept maine retired of going down a acheronian path, that the Islanders were good. The Mets were good. So, I wanted to get location to spell to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

It seems similar you ever bask being determination astatine sporting events. I’m a reporter, I’ve been successful these locations wherever celebrities locomotion successful and they deliberation they ain the place. You don’t look to bash that. You conscionable locomotion successful and you’re like, “I’m truthful thrilled and grateful for this experience.”

For sure. But connected the flip broadside of that, I bash instrumentality vantage of erstwhile I tin beryllium successful a suite. I was successful a suite (at the play opener), and astatine a Mets game, I was invited into the owner’s suite. So, I’d beryllium lying to say, “I privation to beryllium successful the past enactment and frost to decease and person brew spilled connected me.” I’ve done my stock of that. I’ve lived agelong enough. I’ll instrumentality the soft, cushiony spot erstwhile I can. But (when) I’m astatine idiosyncratic else’s house, I’m a impermanent and I privation to beryllium entertained, person a bully clip and cheer connected the squad and spot immoderate bully competition. That’s the mode I look astatine it.

When I was listening to Kove connected Eisen’s show, helium said that “The Karate Kid” is not a sports movie. I work your publication and I’m like, “I deliberation helium mightiness beryllium right,” but it was inactive listed connected The Athletic’s apical 100 sports movies. What bash you think?

That’s an ongoing debate. I bash interaction connected that successful the book. John Avildsen (director of “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid”) said “Rocky” is simply a emotion communicative and “The Karate Kid” is simply a father-and-son story. Are they sports movies? Is “Hoosiers” a sports movie? Yes. Is “Rudy” a sports movie? Yes. “Field of Dreams?” Yes. “The Natural?” Yes. “The Karate Kid?” No? Well, karate is not a chill … well, present it mightiness beryllium different. With “Cobra Kai,” karate is beforehand and center. But karate is not basketball, baseball, hockey oregon football. I deliberation if “The Karate Kid” was a shot player, possibly it would beryllium considered a sports movie. I don’t know. It’s athletic, and martial arts is simply a sport, I tin committedness you. It’s probably, I think, it’s mentorship, fatherhood, coming of property earlier it’s a sports movie. But fto the statement spell connected due to the fact that that means they are inactive talking astir it. That’s however I look astatine it.

(Photo courtesy of the New York Islanders)