I maybe a New Yorker, but since I grew up in L.A. I have always supported my old local teams. So when I came here and even before, it always amused me that the Giants and Jets were referred to as New York teams even though they played in New Jersey. It was a little factoid I teased Jets and Giants fans with, but never thought any more of it than that. Well now something may be done so that the team name fits the location.
From WNBC:
HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Normally it is Jersey fans who gripe that they don't get any respect from pro sports teams that play at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford but have "New York" in their names.
But three New York assemblymen recently sponsored a bill to stop football's Giants and Jets and soccer's Red Bulls from using the Empire State's name or abbreviation because they don't play their home games in New York.
"At the very least, the location of the place where a team plays should be accurate, and reflect where they actually play their home games," Assemblyman Ivan Lafayette, of Queens, writes in the bill, as reported by The Record of Bergen County in Saturday newspapers.
Team officials vow they won't change their names, but legislation might propel them to do otherwise. Jersey sports officials agree with the bill, claiming that since it is New Jersey that gives teams government money, they should have the Garden State name attached. It is amusing that two New York legislators are the authors of the bill. It is the first time I've heard of a native complaining that these teams have an identity crisis. Of course, legislators come up with a lot of bullshit laws all the time, so we'll have to see how far this one goes.
|