Rangers superfan ‘Dancing Larry’ to be added as defendant in Madison Square Garden lawsuit

Larry Goodman, a well-known New York Rangers superfan who has regularly performed at home games under his “Dancing Larry” moniker since 1996, is being added as a defendant in a former Madison Square Garden employee’s workplace discrimination lawsuit against the team and their parent company, MSG Sports.

According to an amended complaint that was approved by Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond in New York County Supreme Court on Tuesday, Goodman is accused of subjecting members of the Rangers’ in-game hype team, the Blue Crew, to “a pattern of persistent and unwelcome physical contact” before and after his recurring performance segments.

Miranda Tyson, a former member of the Blue Crew, filed the original lawsuit against the Rangers and the Madison Square Garden Company in April. Tyson, who is nonbinary, said in the suit that after reporting multiple instances of unwanted interactions with Goodman, they were ultimately not chosen to return to the Blue Crew for the 2025-26 NHL season.

“We don’t comment on employee or legal matters,” an MSG Sports spokesperson told The Athletic in an April statement. Tyson’s lawyer, Bhavleen Sabharwal, had not responded to an email request for comment as of Wednesday morning. The Athletic attempted to reach Goodman for comment and will update the story if he responds.

According to the amended complaint, Goodman displayed an “invasive pattern of physical contact” toward Tyson and other non-male Blue crew members, such as by “firmly touching and grabbing their heads, necks, shoulders, backs, arms, and hands.” The original suit alleges that Tyson, whom it describes as “present[ing] in a traditionally feminine manner,” informed MSG management that “pretty much every member of the Blue Crew who isn’t a man has this experience every time they are assigned to Mr. Goodman.”

In the middle of the third period of most Rangers home games, in a ritualized attempt to pump up the crowd, the Blue Crew flanks Goodman in the stands while he gyrates to the song, “Strike It Up” by Black Box. In addition to his in-game performances, he has been booked by Rangers fans to perform at private events — wedding and bar mitzvah parties, for example.

According to the complaint, Tyson reported Goodman’s behavior in a March 2024 email to a supervisor. The suit says Goodman was temporarily pulled from his “Dancing Larry” segment as a result, but returned after a human resources investigation late in the 2023-24 season.

After a February 2025 game, Tyson reported that Goodman had touched them again, having allegedly placed his “full palm on the small of (their) back.” Goodman’s in-game role continued, according to the lawsuit, but Tyson was excluded from participating for the rest of the season and was not invited to return to the Blue Crew for the 2025-26 campaign.

Two days after Tyson’s suit was initially filed, during the team’s regular-season home finale on April 8, the Rangers recognized Goodman on their in-arena video board for his “30 years at the Garden.” Goodman performed his dance routine after the game, perhaps because there was not a television timeout during his normal third-period window.

The revised complaint also notes that Goodman continued his conduct after “being placed on notice that it was unwelcome and the subject of formal complaints,” describing his behavior as “willful and knowing.” As with the original suit, it seeks an award of compensatory and punitive damages.

As part of the amended complaint’s filing last month, Sabharwal wrote that the existing defendants — who also include former MSG senior vice president and event producer Mike Sarnoski — had indicated they would not oppose the motion to add Goodman.