From the outside looking in, it might not make much sense. Why do Central New Yorkers who seemingly have no affiliation other than geographic proximity go nuts over the local university’s basketball team? This isn’t the NBA, why do Syracuse denizens treat and follow the Syracuse Orange basketball team as if it were an NBA franchise and show up in (at times) sub-zero temperature only to fill a giant aircraft hanger with people in the middle of winter?
It’s suffice to say that there aren’t any professional sports teams in Syracuse. To find the closest, you’d have to travel over two hours west to Buffalo, which is home to the Buffalo Bills.