The Dilemma: Should Giants Fans Root For The Jets?
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (CBS 2) -- The Jets' road to glory takes them to New England on Sunday. For many fans it's a high point for the season, so far -- unless you've been rooting for that other team that plays at the Meadowlands.
CBS 2's Lou Young takes a look inside New York's football house divided.
New York loves a winner and Jets merchandise is moving front and center for the first time in a long time, displacing the former favorite.
"The Giants were always the popular … they were always the good team. Jets hadn't won in a long time. Now with the Jets hot people are really getting hungry," Modell's manager Ed Cohen said.
So if you're a long suffering Jets fan you're pretty excited, but what about Giants fans? How are they handling this new turn of events, with grace or with bitterness?
"A real football fan who likes the Giants? They can't root for the Jets. They don't like each other," Giants fan Tim Shifflet said.
The pros insist that line of thinking is true.
"If you're a Giants fan you're rooting for anybody to beat the Jets. The Patriots. You'd root for the Patriots to beat the Jets. That's the way it works in terms of fandom," former Jets linebacker Greg Buttle said.
Buttle should know; he played for the Jets for nine seasons. He said many Giants fans are either secretly or openly rooting for New England -- even if they deny it, like one guy Young spoke with.
"As much as I don't like Jets I'm still going to root for them being a New York fan," James Solar said.
The word you're looking for perhaps is ambivalent, torn between loyalty to your team and the city they sort-of play in.
But maybe were being unfair.
"I grew up with the Giants and Allie Sherman and Y.A. Tittle, but I'm a New Yorker so I want to see the Jets win," Giants fan Jack DeLuca said.
And if that's too tough a step to take?
"I've never been a Giants fan. They can cry. They can do whatever they want. This is the time for the Jets," Jane Aronowicz said.
CBS 2 is your station for the Jets in the playoffs. On Friday night we'll bring you "Road to Glory," an hour-long preview from 7-8 p.m., and then you can watch the big game Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
