Why do you Like the Jets?

When my wife and I found out we were having a child about eight years ago, some of the first things we bought were a Jets onesie, a bib with Gang Green’s logo, and green & white baby bottles and sippy cups. The first word my son ever spelled was “J-E-T-S”, even before learning his own name. Over the years, he has amassed a bunch of Jets memorabilia, including a stuffed animal which we had named Bark Scott.

Basically, my kid had no choice.

My son became a New York Jets fan because of me. He was born in 2009, and it looked like things were going to work out better for him. It hasn’t turned out so well, but I have spared him from having to watch the games. He gets to do homework in his room while I agonize in front of the TV on Sunday afternoons.

As for me, how did I become a Jets fan? It also has to do with fatherhood, actually. When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I was flipping through the channels one afternoon and saw a news profile on Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason and his son, who happened to have cystic fibrosis. Either later that night or days later, the Jets game was on and I tuned in to see if Boomer and Gang Green would win. I didn’t understand the game of football, but I eventually figured it out just from watching through New York Jets games over the years. And I had been rooting for them ever since.

As for you, how did you become a New York Jets fan?