In maybe the strangest legal case of recent memory, two New York football fans are suing the Jets, Giants, and the NFL because the teams have New York in their names while playing their home games in New Jersey.
Abdiell Suero and Maggie Wilkins are suing for false advertising and fraudulent deceptive practices that led them to believe the teams still played in New York.
The teams have not played in New York since 1984. In 1976, the Giants moved from New York to the Meadowlands in New Jersey, with the Jets following suit eight years later.
Suero claims he has been a big-time Giant fan, and was shocked to learn the Giants played in New Jersey a few years ago. “I spent more time traveling to get to the game than the game actually lasted,” said Suero.
To be fair: if you’re a fan of the team, and you have been for years, shouldn’t you know where they play their home games? And they don’t play in “south” New Jersey; it’s seven miles into the state.
This distance is also within the 75-mile radius allowance for how a team can associate geographically, per league rules.
On April 25, the Jets, Giants, and NFL filed for legal papers to get the case dismissed. “Continued use of ‘New York’ as part of their team names is not misleading at all – it merely refers to the teams’ hometown,” claimed the lawyers used for their dismissal attempt. “These claims are calculated to score points in the headlines – not the courtroom.”
It does seem like one ill-fated attempt at a cash grab. $6 billion for this? There simply can’t be that much emotional damage, save for having to endure through a couple of bridge tolls. In that event, may I recommend E-Z Pass?
Moreover, the teams are also not who the finger should be pointed at. In the early 2000s, the Jets devised a plan to move back into Manhattan above the West Side railyards. The City was excited about it, but Cablevision Chief Executive James Dolan had other ideas.
With the Knicks owner’s Madison Square Garden residency solidifying his Cablevision stance, Dolan did not want to entertain any competition. He funded successful campaigns to block the passing of the stadium as a result.
Though they tried, there is not exactly mass amounts of real estate open for the taking. And neither have performed to the best standard of late either to necessitate re-engaging in proposal conversations. Whether they are in New Jersey, the five boroughs or right down the road in Smithtown, it won’t change the organization’s issues that are highest on their priority list.
In the latest draft, the Giant’s attempt to start the road back to success led them to draft offensive tackle Evan Neal from the University of Alabama and a native of Florida.
“I didn’t even know the Giants were in Jersey,” said offensive tackle Evan Neal, one of the Giants’ most recent draft selections out of the University of Alabama. “That was news to me. I thought they were in New York.”
Based on the slippery slope logic supposed by the lawsuit, the Buffalo Bills are the only true New York team. So if you drop ship and join their Mafia, that’s your prerogative. However, should you remain with the New York/New Jersey football teams, the future does happen to look incredibly bright – no matter where they reside for the long haul (The Messenger currently has their bets set on New Jersey, but can be swayed).
