The Jets, reeling from three consecutive unsightly losses, remain in the playoff hunt at 5-7 in an unimpressive AFC, while the 5-7 Giants have been all but eliminated thanks to timely wins by the Cowboys and Eagles. Yet, the Jets probably won’t make the playoffs in the state of flux they’re in, nor do they deserve to. And, Jets fans know this fact; they don’t need to be constantly reminded by Giants fans.
See, the Giants’ last Super Bowl run in 2011 told a similar story of a team barely keeping its head above water in this stage of the year, then turning it on late. I’m sure some said when the team was 6-6, they didn’t ‘deserve’ to make the playoffs.
Since when did that matter? It seems to be a common shot fired at Jets fans from bitter Giants fans these days.
Sadly, it’s hardly the only shot.
As I mentioned, I actually took a liking to the Giants this season, having covered the team in training camp for WFUV Sports. Chatting with players and reporters, it seemed like a great organization. Then I got to school, and I was quickly reminded why I don’t like the Giants: because their fans so vehemently dislike the Jets.
And for what? There’s no rational reason for such a rivalry to exist. Literally, none.
The two teams couldn’t have more different historical backgrounds when it comes to winning; the Giants are far superior to the Jets. Yankees fans don’t hate the Mets, and they even play them annually (which the Giants do not against the Jets). No, they realize the Mets are an organization that’s been in shambles over the past decade. There have been successes, but recently it hasn’t looked good. And I’m sure most Yankees fans would respect the days of Carlos Beltran and the NLCS (I do, at least). It doesn’t make them the worst fans in the world.
Yet despite the Jets’ consecutive appearances in the AFC Championship game just three and four years ago, they still fight for respect in New York. For some reason, not far removed from that 11-5 season, they’re trash — and always have been. On the other hand, this leaves Jets fans inclined to bash a classy and successful organization like the Giants, which is absurd.
Stop the fighting. There’s truly no good reason why one side should hate the other. In fact, the NFL is the one league in which you can get away with supporting a team from the same town. I’d like to see a Giants fan happy for the Jets for potentially making the postseason, and a Jets fan proud of Eli Manning for turning his dreadful season around. Is that too much to ask?
— Kenny Ducey
