My esteemed Newsday colleague Anthony Reebert drew attention to the subject of Jets fans selling many of their tickets to Steelers fans for last week's game at Giants Stadium, which felt more like a Pittsburgh home game. And in doing so, he invoked our blog post where we criticized fans for their front-runner mentality. 
We're glad Reebert used our opinion for a launching off point, even if he was simply pandering to those Jets fans who needed a pat on the back for acting like frontrunners by selling out becasue the season has gone bad. In fact, we're touched, especially by the fact Reebert spelled our name correctly. And Reebert even said he loved us!
Right back at you, A-Reeb.
Oops, it's Riebert. I mean Rieber! :-)
I wrote about Jets' fans today as well, using last week's series of unfortunate events - including the "Gate D" fiasco - and suggested that the Jets ought to be taking the events of this season very, very seriously moving forward. It's not just about a losing season any more. With a new stadium coming on line in 2010 and the team pulling up stakes from Long Island entirely by 2009, the Jets are running the risk of alienating a good portion of their fan base. Especially with a new pro league (the United Football League) coming on line next year and planning to put a franchise at Hofstra, where the Jets currently train.
Comments (10)
Agreed, Bob. I read his article this morning, numerous fans make the obvious economic argument in the comments. Fair point, but don't sell to the opposition the tickets and call yourself a fan. Every person that sold a ticket effectively supported the Steelers against the Jets. That's not an act of a fan.
Craig... with all due respect... how many of those dressed in Steelers garb made tackles or complete passes in that game?
I know that we Steeler fans are legendary... but so far we haven't found a way to make plays. :-)
BG, I'm not saying you made plays, but turning home field advantage over to the opposition is not the act of a fan. The game went well for the Jets, Gate D aside.
Bob,
What?
Bob, thanks for a very well written article, and some fantastic points about how the Jets are basically tossing aside the fans in Long Island (which geographically INCLUDES Queens), much of whom have supported this pathetic excuse for a team since they were in blue and gold.
I'm done as a fan, 32 years of watching this team loose other than 6 or 7 seasons of decent football, 2 of which were very good ('85 and '98). Other than a few good wins like the Monday Night Miracle, and the NFL's record for most passing yards in a game (Kenny O vs Marino), there just insn't anything worth supporting coming out of Hofstra anymore.
Can you do us one favor as fans of this poor excuse for a football team. I've been peppering Tom Rock's Blog with my comments about it, but really, you guys need to investigate it more. Why are all of our politicians, local law-makers, and anyone else with any kind of political weight allowing BOTH NFL teams to leave NY, move all operations and offices out of state and still claim to be NY teams? The Jets got away with it as they are still based in NY, and only play in NJ. But as of 2009, there will be NO connection to NY, other than what is written on the helmets, and what is sold in our stores. Why?
Also, why did Bloomberg not push for the new Shea to be an NFL/MLB stadium to keep the Jets? There is news there, maybe not worth writing about, but more of a chance to toss some sharpened barbs at people. But as a fan of the Jets Franchise for as long as I have been, it's the ultimate kick in the balls.
Again, thanks for the article, you really hit some great points, and I wish you would keep on them until they finally leave.
I won't be sad, I've had enough of this team. That new Football franchise is looking good to me too. Might be worth a new start.
All the best!
James
'Jimmy Cheese'
Jiimy Cheese, Bloomberg screwed NYC. He went all in for Manhattan, regardless of the merits. It was a real estate play, never about football, citizens, fans. He had to have the stadium for the olympic bid. It was an ego project. Patacki slept on it because none of his benifactors wanted to develop in Queens.
BG, any word on Sean Taylor? News sounds bad.
Thanks for the info,
Still should be brought to light in the papers. Seems we're the only City dumb enough in the USA to allow BOTH (2) NFL teams to walk across the river and live in another state... yet call themselves NY teams.
I don't rememberNew York annexing The Meadowlands from New Jersey, did I miss something? Why are the Devils called the NJ Devils when they used to play in the Meadowlands complex.
I guess NY will just roll-over on it's back and give in. What's another $100 in tolls and gas to go see both our teams get killed every year, right?
JC
I never go, have turned down tickets on a regular basis. If the new league sets up shop at Hofstra I will be a regular.
Craig:
No new updates on Taylor. Doesn't sound good.
Jimmy Cheese:
You are not alone in your anger at NY pols for not making a clean break with NJ sports teams. Then again, this is a very, very gray area that no one has a well-defined answer for. At one level, it's New Jersey that owns these teams; at another level, we're all in this together as far as the teams belonging to the fans - at least in a psychological sense.
(Is that enough political double-talk for you? In the meantime, I will speak to Neil Best on this, because he is truly the voice of reason when it comes to complicated issues like these.)
I'd like to hear what Neil has to say about this NY/NJ issue.
I'm glad you made the points you did in your column... recent events should make the Jets organization take a good hard look at how they've managed to screw up a golden opportunity over the past 30+ years.
The "Gate D-gate" scandal and the Steeler fan crowd are two major signs things are going wrong for this organization. The fans are definitely responsible for their behaivior its just while I think the former is reprehensible, I dont blame them (and by them I mean me) for the latter.
Just to note, my wife and I brought our two young daugters to the Buffalo game, a security guard was arguing with my wife about the small backpacks the girls carried with extra sweaters and some healthier snacks (we let them search the whole bag for contraband but they still did not want to let the backpacks in!), in the middle of this crowd watching the head security guy yells at my wife something along the lines of "You have no business bringing these two kids to the game, its not a place for kids, what kind of parent doesn't know that."
Their own security guy yelling at my wife that these games are no place for kids! (I almost lost it at the guy and with the crowd on my side they eventually let us through but they dont even care that it should be a place for a family to come....)