Our wealth gap on display at the Garden

Flushing: President Trump should not have attended Game 3, not because he’s president — he can do whatever he wants — but because his presence was too divisive. It was unnecessary. I don’t blame him for the loss, I blame him for division.

This was a rich person’s game. Regular fans were not in the arena. They weren’t allowed to be outside of it either because of Trump. What gives Knicks, Yankees and Giants games flavor is all the working people who are slowly being priced out of attending their favorite team’s games. The people see this. They see celebrities seated all the way around the bowl, all the way up into the rafters. Then there were the referees. When a fan sees Victor Wembanyama almost decapitate Jalen Brunson and not get called for a flagrant foul, then sees the refs call a flagrant on Brunson for incidental contact, how are they supposed to react?

The middle class has been beaten down for years, then we see a billionaire president affect how people attend a game of their favorite team, then see millionaires and billionaires price them out of tickets to a Finals game, then see NBA royalty, executives and refs treat their team like trash. What do you expect to happen? I didn’t like the violence that happened and I denounce it. I would not participate in it. It’s wrong — but I understand it.

Michael Papagermanos

Every city has a few

Huntington Station, L.I.: To Voicer Charles Winokoor: With all due respect, every true Knicks fan was as disgusted as you with the behavior of those awful people who attacked the Spurs fan and “rioted” after Game 3 the other night. After Game 4, jerks were throwing things at Victor Wembanyama. This behavior is completely unacceptable! However, in 2007, after the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, Reuters reported that crowds were “hurling rocks at police in riot gear, smashing windows and lighting fires.” It can happen anywhere, and a few bad apples don’t represent our city, just as those crowds in Boston didn’t portray regular Sox fans.

Nancy Macri Kennedy

Iconic arena

Manhattan: It was reported in May that the much-needed renovation of Penn Station will not require moving Madison Square Garden. I believe subsequent events help remind us that the 58-year-old arena is a treasure worth preserving. Unlike the magnificent original Penn Station it replaced (demolished after only 53 years), the Garden has been well-maintained and renovated to keep it state-of-the-art. I recall its magic when I was there as a child for the first time in the fall of 1969, attending a Knicks game the season they won their first championship. From recently being at Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, even before the epic comeback of the Knicks, words can’t capture the iconic building’s electric atmosphere, and that feeling extends to the neighboring city streets in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.

Jeffrey B. Freedman

Lopsided coverage

New Haven, Conn.: A couple of days this week, you gave the Yankees two pages and the Mets got zero. Probably better than The New York Times — three days this week, football was widely covered and baseball got zero.

Sidney Harris

Identity preference

Tappan, N.Y.: I don’t think a high-priced H-1B visa would help America attract people to augment our shortage of qualified medical help, but would let major corporations and billionaires with deep pockets bring in whoever they want because to them, $100,000 is a drop in the bucket. An unnamed spokesperson for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is quoted as saying, “Under Trump and Mullin, our new system serves American citizens, workers and families and preserves our national identity.” I could’ve sworn our national identity is more than white English speakers (MAGA) who’ve been convinced they’re better than every non-white person. I didn’t realize we’re importing only foreigners who commit crimes, take jobs, burden our welfare system and erode our cultural and social fabric. To lessen our shortage of fertilizer due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, we need to convert MAGA BS into something tangible.

Ray Hayes

Ancient history

Patchogue, L.I.: To Voicer Jeffrey Van Pelt: You write about Jane Fonda regarding her 1972 picture posing with a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft artillery crew. Do you not believe the man in the White House disrespects our fallen soldiers? He avoided going into the military many times. He embraces the leaders of Russia and North Korea. Are you holding him to the same standard?

John Kiernan

First choice

Somerset, N.J.: To Voicer Tanya Cabrera: Not only did I notice that “elevated” could be the answer to the WordWheel quiz, but that was actually my guess instead of “delegate.”

Arthur Bressler

Not quite right

Manhattan: I was surprised that a recent Crossword II used “Healthy berry” for 1 across instead of “healthful.” Healthy means free of disease, which I hope all food we ingest is. Healthful means good for our health, and for keeping or making us healthy.

Manny Greitzer

Better betting

McLean, Va.: Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) member operators already use responsible gaming best practices above and beyond what’s required by law, but the unanimous approval of Assemblymember Rebecca Kassay’s bill A10329 requiring mobile sports wagering operators to share monthly invoice statements to consumers is a welcome step forward in helping to standardize benchmarks to keep players informed about their gaming activity. Once signed into law by Gov. Hochul, making this practice the official standard will strengthen responsible gaming practices across New York. Transparency is foundational to responsible gaming. When clear, consistent information about their activity is provided, bettors are more empowered to make informed decisions about their play, which helps keep it recreational. Other states would do well to follow this proactive approach. Not only does it empower consumers, it also ensures responsible gaming best practices become a normal part of the player experience.

Jennifer Shatley, executive director, ROGA

No one to the rescue

Pomona, N.Y.: Heart-wrenching that innocent Happy had to die like a convicted felon sentenced to life without parole. She wasn’t only meant to roam (because female elephants roaming as herds beneficially affect the landscape for many other animals), but she was born free, forcibly kidnapped and sold to the zoo. We know about the wrongs we’ve done to animals for years. It’s why the standard established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums doesn’t permit a lone female elephant to be held in captivity. And where is the Wildlife Conservation Society, which wasn’t there for Happy, to now try and help get Patty to a sanctuary? If elephants no longer belong in circuses, surely they no longer belong in zoos. But it costs money to transport Patty to a sanctuary and nothing to let her languish at the Bronx Zoo until she dies like Happy.

Marilyn Leybra