My story is kind of interesting. Basically I was born a Jets fan though. I lived in West Virginia and Maryland as a kid. My Dad is a Steelers fan, my Mother is a Redskins fan. No one in the family was a Jets fan. When I was a baby, my Mom said that she would show me the JC Penney catalog and one page had all of the NFL helmets. She would put my finger on the Redskins, but I would always move my finger to the Jets. Maybe I liked green, I don't know. I can remember games as early as 1993 with Boomer Esiason. Then of course we had the 1995 and 1996 seasons. You would think a kid would jump ship then, but I did not. Terrible mistake. And here I am 25 years later.
1979 my father told me I was a Jet fan, a Yankee fan and a Ranger fan. I said, okie doke and that was it
Seriously, it's all Joe Willie Namath's fault with his white shoes, long hair, his bravado, and the way he threw the football.
December 1985 - I was nine years old and the Chicago Bears were the biggest thing in news. I wasn't a big football fan, but they were on TV that week playing the Jets. I decided to watch the game to see the Fridge and Walter Payton (who had become celebrities). The rest of my family was out for some reason, so I sat there and watched the whole game by myself. It was still a one touchdown game in the fourth quarter and by the end of the game I said to myself, "I guess the Jets are pretty good if they were able to keep up with the Bears." From then on, I've been a Jets fan.
Similar story: Back in the early 1980's, riding the bus to elementary school, two of my buddies were talking about their favorite NFL teams. One was an Eagles fan, the other followed the Lions. We lived in the middle of nowhere, so there were no teams anywhere close back then (I imagine most kids in those areas are Panthers or Titans fans these days, but they weren't around yet). Anyway, when they asked me who I followed, and I didn't know any teams, one of them popped open an NFL book--probably like a Sports Illustrated Best of the NFL, or some such-- and the inside cover had the helmets of every team. It was a close call between the Bengals and the Jets--so I was screwed either way. I've been following the Jets ever since.
I was a huge Brady Bunch fan and I remember the episode of Bobby Brady faking a terminal illness so he could see Joe Namath. I saw Joe and the Jets helmet, the rest is history. Bobby should have died, it probably would have discouraged me from becoming a Jets fan.
from the UK and got into the NFL in the mid-80s when it started to take off over here with guys like the Fridge, my mate and I were looking at team to support - he chose the NY Giants and I went with the NY Jets - though he switched to the niners the following year and has supported them since then and I sadly remained stuck with the Jets, for better or worse (or in reality for worse or worse) - what's annoying is as someone in England the New England Patriots would have made most sense but I thought their logo sucked in the 80s so that's why i didnt go with them (what an idiot) in some ways i loved being an 80s fan - there was no live coverage on tv and so we used to listen to games on shortwave radio on voice of america i think it was - the station that was broadcast to US troops based in Germany at that time - was much more exotic and exciting back then - could never had imagined stuff like live HD games being streamed
So many out of New Yorkers in this thread. I hope I am not offending anybody here but sometimes I think Jet fans who have no ties to New York should be appreciated more by the Jet fans from New York. Kudos to everyone who shared their stories. My story sucks. Year 2004. My company moved me from Turkey to New York. I didn't follow football for a while after I moved to USA as I was a soccer guy. Back in 2006 I started watching NFL a little. Only Jets and Giant games were shown on TV. For a while I didn't have a team. But as time passed by I got curious about New York teams started reading about them and their history. To my demise, I loved the story of Jets. Loved them for being the underdogs. Loved that they were the step children of New York City. Loved Joe Namath's persona. Loved the passionate Jet fans. Loved the J-E-T-S chant. So slowly my heart melted for the Jets. In 2009 we moved from Brooklyn to Madison, NJ. Found Jet flags all over the town at the time. Was surprised. Found out my home would be like 5 minutes to Jets Florham Park facility. My love got stronger. Seeing Rex in Madison and talking to him a few minutes was pretty cool as well. With my soccer team Galatasaray I taste victory. Most decorated Turkish soccer team and only Turkish soccer team with 2 European Cups won. One against Arsenal and one against Real Madrid. So with the Jets I taste misery. Sometimes I feel like I love the misery of Jets more than the taste of victory with Galatasaray.
A Long Island kid in my youth. I used to do the "sack dance" in fron of the TV (which was basically a feigned epileptic episode)..... there's a period there when being loyal to the "home team" wasnt so bad.... seems like ancient history now. First moved away from NY in 1986 as a kid, then permanently 25 years ago.... still stupidly loyal
Maybe that's when the curse started. Bobby probably slipped Joe the Tiki idol from the ill-fated Hawaii trip...
Growing up in the 50's the son of a trade unionist, we rooted for the Brooklyn Dodgers for one reason: Jackie Robinson. As Dodgers fans we were taught to hate (well, let's say dislike) the Yankees and the Giants. So how could I root for a football team called the New York Giants? No way. I rooted for every Giants opponent from Cleveland with Jim Brown to Green Bay with Jim Taylor, even rooted for Chicago with Bobby Douglas. When the AFL started up, I don't remember seeing the Titans on TV much. It was usually, The Dallas Texans with Len Dawson and Abner Haynes, or the LA Chargers with Hadl, Alworth, Keith Lincoln and Paul Lowe or The Houston Oilers with Blanda, Billy Cannon and Charlie Tollar (the human cannonball.) Those were the teams I enjoyed watching because like everyone else, I liked the wide open style. Comes the year 1964 and the Jets drafted three QB's, one named Namath. My problem with Namath was that he was from Alabama which was a segregationist school at the time, so I was still not a fan. However, when he came to NY, he embraced the flamboyant "hip" lifestyle and grew his hair long. That was it for me, now I was a fan of Broadway Joe being something of a hippie myself. Also. his reputation in college was as a runner, but he soon showed that he could throw with the best of the AFL and the Jets are now playing that wide open style I liked. Come 1969, I was studying abroad in Mexico when the Super Bowl victory occurred, but wasn't able to see it because the Mexicans didn't know much about American Football at the time. Nevertheless, everyone on campus, including Mexicans, knew I was from NY and wanted to talk to me about the Jets because it was such a huge upset. That sealed the deal. From then on it was Let's Go Jets! Soon after it was Same Old Jets but hey, what can you do....?
1998 I was 13 and just getting into football. Early in the season I saw Curtis Martin and believed then (and still do) that he is the embodiment of a football player. By the time the season was over he was my guy and this was my team. I've ridden this crazy ass rollercoaster for twenty years now becoming more connected with this team and the rest of you fans through every incredible high and the far too many extreme lows.
