My theory on being a sports fan in NJ is that, if the team is from NJ, you must support them. Otherwise it’s all up for grabs. I don’t feel that because I’m close to NY I should be a Mets, Yankees, Giants or Jets fan. I identify with NYC as much as I identify with Chicago. Or Paris or Tokyo for that matter.
This is why I was so frustrated being at the Prudential Center for games 1 and 2 of the Rangers/Devils series being surrounded by tons of NJ-based Ranger Fans. I don’t understand why people from NJ would want to support a team from another state, when there is a local team that has outplayed most others over the past 13 years. The Rangers fans from NY come to NJ with a air of superiority, they think of themselves as sophisticates and downplay their neighbors over the Hudson. But I’ll tell you what – I’m proud to be from NJ! And, I’m proud of a team that has played so well for more than a decade!
New Jersey is NOT New York. The people in New York seem to know this. People in NJ may be confused over where their allegiance should lie while real NY’ers are laughing every minute of it. Trust me, they enjoy seeing all of our people take the bus outta town leaving them to their own society of which we aren’t members! To my NJ Brothers and Sisters: Support your local teams when there is one and then support whoever you want. Hopefully it wont be the Yankees!
