As if New Jersey politicians weren’t already struggling with their image in recent weeks, some of them have opted to whine publicly about the notion that the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl is more about New York and less about New Jersey.
A group of elected officials have held a press conference to decry ticket and program designs that emphasize New York, and to pre-emptively chastise players and broadcasters who would refer to the upcoming NFL title game as a “New York Super Bowl.”
“Apparently, the NFL needs a geography lesson,” Sen. Robert Menendez, (D-NJ) said, via the Associated Press.
Apparently, the NFL does need a geography lesson. For decades, the Giants and Jets have been playing home games in New Jersey. But both teams still go by the “New York” name.
Really, what did the New Jersey politicians expect? The NFL teams that play there are New York teams. Thus, a Super Bowl played there primarily will be a New York Super Bowl. Especially since most of the pre-game activities will occur in New York.
Let’s be realistic. New Jersey wouldn’t be hosting a pair of NFL teams and in turn the Super Bowl without New York. New Jersey has a piece of the action only because there hasn’t been a viable place in New York to build a modern NFL stadium.
Still, the powers-that-be in New Jersey can have the last laugh. Come Super Sunday, it could be “time for some traffic problems” between Manhattan and MetLife Stadium.