NFL: Jets - Why would we move?

By Nathan Swite

Stadium issues and team movement. Unfortunately, those two phrases go together like the words Walter Payton and Hall of Famer. With storied franchises such as the Baltimore Colts and the Cleveland Browns moving in past seasons, would it be any surprise that the New York Jets would New York? The team from gotham city is the latest facing a reported move if they are not give a new Manhattan West Side Stadium.

The New York Post reported that the Jets, who currently play in East Rutherford, New Jersey; would move to Los Angeles if they were not given a new stadium in New York. Los Angeles has been without a team since the Rams and Raiders moved in the mid-90’s. However, after seeing the backlash the Browns faced when they moved, one has to ask why would the Jets move? A source in the Jets organization states that scenario makes their point for them.

“With all that the Browns faced following the announcement of their move, why would we do anything like that?” asked the source, who spoke with Fanstop.com on condition of anonymity. “There are people in this league that still resent the original franchise leaving Cleveland. Why would we want to open ourselves up to that? It wouldn’t be worth the aggravation. Besides, the fans are to good here to leave.”

The Jets have been a part of the NFL since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. They helped established the AFL with their historic 16-7 upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. The team has enjoyed great success in New York, making a playoff appearance in every decade. They played exclusively in New York’s Shea Stadium, before moving to the Meadowlands. As the source told us, the team is grounded in New York’s very lifestyle.

“The Jets are New York,” he said. “Plain and simple, you take the Jets away from New York, you take a part of New York away. There is no way we would move, based on the fact that this team is really ground into the community’s spirit. I don’t think the NFL would let us do that to a community that has supported us for more than four decades. It wouldn’t be right.”

The Post quoted an unnamed friend of Owner Woody Johnson stating that the team would move if a good show place for the Jets weren’t built. The Jets are currently one of many New York sports teams searching for a new home. The source we spoke with said that they will go through the proper channels to insure a new stadium and no one should put much stock in the Post story.

“If I were a Jets fan, I wouldn’t be worried about it,” he said. “As I said before, the Jets are a part of New York and we are not about to take that away from New York. We are going to look at all the options and ways to get a new stadium. Certainly we want a new home to play in, but we are not going to put a move out there over the fans heads to threaten them.”

No one in New York wants to see the Jets leave. According to the source we spoke with, the team is too much a part of the community to consider such an option. However, one has to remember the Browns were a big part of the Cleveland community.

Article courtesy of Sportsuperstarz.com