Family or Glorified Crew?

The Sopranos features a number of mafia families. The main one is of course the DiMeo family of New Jersey, also known as the Soprano family, that most of our main characters are a part of.

“Family? I told you they’re a glorified crew.”

- Carmine Lupertazzi

But as funny as that line is, is it even true? Are The Sopranos a family or a glorified crew? And what exactly is the difference?

Well Wikipedia gives this definition of a crime family, which is vague enough to fit pretty much any criminal organization. And the Soprano family certainly fit this. But there is clearly a difference between the New York and New Jersey families in the show, and that difference is worth exploring. So let’s take a look and figure out where the Sopranos fall.

Before we get started let me give a quick disclaimer. I do not claim to be an expert on the real life mafia. I’m just a guy sitting in his underwear, watching a tv show and giggling like a little school girl. My only knowledge of the mafia is stuff I’ve picked up from the media and little bit of online research. So any statements I make are only in reference to the world of the show, not real life.

Also, and I can’t believe I need to say this, The Sopranos is fictional. It’s not real. There are of course similarities to real life, but the show was created by people who, while great writers, are also not experts on the mafia. David Chase and company were not trying to make every single detail accurate to the real world, they were trying to tell a great story. There are things in the show which are not true to real life, and when in doubt, I am going to rely on the internal logic of the show rather than real life facts.

Alright now that we got this pointless disclaimer out of the way, let’s break down what this argument is even about. What exactly is the difference between a family and a crew? Well in season 3, Ralphie gives this statement:

“We thought we was like the 6th family. But who the fuck knew we was even alive, right?”

- Ralph

It essentially boils down to power and legitimacy. When the Lupertazzis say that the Sopranos are a glorified crew, what they are saying is that they are not as prestigious or legitimate as the New York families. Compared to them, they are a simple gang of criminals without the history or power of the actual Five Families.

Ok, time for a quick and semi accurate history lesson. The modern organization of La Cosa Nostra was established by Charles Luciano in 1931. It formalized the American mafia into a number of officially recognized families each with distinct territory, and created The Commission, the governing body of the mafia.

The Commission included the well known Five Families of New York, as well as Chigaco, Buffalo, and at times a number of other smaller families. Together, these make up the officially recognized families of the American La Cosa Nostra.

So one could argue that since the DiMeo’s are not a part of the commission, they are not a true family. But that seems too simple of an argument. After all, the Bannano’s, one of the actual Five Families, were at one point kicked off the Commission due to being infiltrated by an undercover FBI agent known as Donnie Brasco. However I don’t think that anyone would deny that they were still an actual family with history and a legacy.

And since we are on the topic of real life mafia history, we should discuss the real New Jersey mob: the Decavalcante Crime family. People have noticed similarities between this group and the Sopranos, including the actual mobsters themselves.

If you haven't seen it, you should check out the documentary The Real Sopranos. I’ll probably do a whole video on it one day, as it’s a fascinating story. It goes over the history of the Decavalcante, and one incredible detail is that the FBI were able to record incriminating conversations of the mobsters discussing the Sopranos show and how it was based on their actual crimes. It's crazy.

This connection between the Decavalcante and the DiMeos further leads people to consider the DiMeos a glorified crew. After all, in real life the New Jersey mobsters are considered pawns of the much larger New York families.

But for what it's worth David Chase has maintained that the characters on the show are not based on real life people. While I have no doubt that some real life events influenced the writers, they were not trying to make a historical show like Rome or Boardwalk Empire.

So instead of looking at real life details, let’s compare the families on the show and see what the difference is. On the show, the Sopranos work with the Lupertazzi family on various construction projects and scams. However for the most part, the Sopranos are the junior partner in the arrangement. The Luertazzi’s take a majority of the revenue split, and are able to pressure the Sopranos into cutting them into other deals they make. In Season Five, Johnny Sack is also able to squeeze their businesses to pressure Tony to give up his cousin.

Part of this is the size of each of the families. The Lupertazzis are said to have 200 soldiers, meaning made guys, in their family, not to mention hundreds of other associates. In contrast, the Sopranos probably have around 60 or so if we factor in the largely unseen Barese, Curto, and Altieri crews. In terms of manpower alone, the Lupertazzis could easily crush the Sopranos, and even though Tony is able to negotiate a peace with them in the finale episode, we see just how devastating the war is for New Jersey when they lose many of their key guys.

However size alone does not determine a family's status. Smaller families like the Columbos have at times held lots of power, and though it was messy the Sopranos were able to overcome Phil despite their small size.

Another reason why the Lupertazzis look down on the Sopranos is the lack of tradition and selectivity in making guys.

“They make anybody and everybody over there. And the way they do it is all fucked up. Guys don’t get their finger pricked. There’s no sword and gun on the table.”

- Phil Leotardo

Which is technically not true, Christopher does get his finger pricked, though there is indeed no sword or gun on the table. But as we see with Phil, he is more focused on history and tradition than the present reality of the mob. It’s why he’s so focused on killing Vito for being gay when in reality it really doesn’t matter. And it’s this lack of realism that ultimately leads Phil to being betrayed by his own guys.

So if it’s not size and it’s not tradition that makes the Sopranos less than New York, what is it? Well part of it is the general theme of the show that New Jersey as a whole is less glamorous than New York.

“Jersey? Come on, huh?”

- Phil

Now before anyone says anything, this is what the show is saying, not me. Personally I’ve always preferred the suburbs to the big city. They are usually way too crowded, overpriced, and dirty for my taste. But it can’t be denied that New Jersey has a much worse reputation in the public imagination than the Big Apple.

Chase intentionally set the show in New Jersey to show the less glamorous and much more relatable side of American life, compared to the traditional shows which portray life in New York as exciting and elegant.

“I’m a fat crook from New Jersey.”

- Tony

But aside from these themes, the Sopranos demonstrate themselves as powerful in their own right. Johnny Sack mentions how much money the Sopranos earn for New York, and their dispute over the Esplanade costs New York so much money it makes them negotiate an end to the conflict. Johnny Sack even has to turn to New Jersey to help maintain his power once he gets sent to prison.

So given all of this, I don't believe the Sopranos are a glorified crew. They are as much of a family as any of the other criminal organizations we see on the show, and given what they are able to accomplish despite their size, I think they are worthy of our respect.

Although, they still don't have the makings of varsity athletes.