Six of 10 NFL fans in New Jersey believe the Giants and Jets should keep New York in their name, though they play in the Garden State, according to a poll.
Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Six of 10NFL fans in New Jersey believe the Giants and Jets should keep New York in their name, though they play their games in the Garden State, according to a survey.
Fifty-nine percent in the state say they should remain the New York Giants and the New York Jets with 29% believing their names should change, according to a Quinnipiac poll of adults in New Jersey released Friday.
Quinnipiac University is located in Connecticut.
"The fact that a majority of New Jersey fans still prefer the New York name speaks volumes about the power of branding, regional identity, and historical precedence," Brittani Webb, assistant professor of Media Studies at Quinnipiac University School of Communications, said. "To them, it seems the Giants and Jets represent much more than the literal location of the stadium."
The percentages were roughly the same based upon age, sex and those with a college degree.
The two teams have shared two stadiums for several decades at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, about 5 miles west of New York City. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. It also includes a harness racing facility and the since-closed arena for the NHL's Jersey Devils, Seton Hall basketball team and the New Jersey Nets.
The Giants moved to Giants Stadium from Yankee Stadium in 1976 and the Jets followed in 1984 from Shea Stadium.
Met Life Stadium, which seats 82,500 for football, opened at the complex in 2010. The Super Bowl was played there on Feb. 2, 2014.
Since they moved to New Jersey, they have played each other 12 times with the Giants winning seven of the games. In their last matchup, the Jets prevailed 13-10 on Oct. 29, 2023.
Both teams have been struggling with the Giants 2-4 in the NFC and the Jets 0-6 in the AFC.
Fans aren't holding out a lot of hope about either team playing in the postseason in five years: 33% say the Jets will make it by then and 64% believe the Giants. The Jets last played in the playoffs in the 2010 season and Giants in 2022.
Among New Jersey football fans, 31% say the Giants are their favorite team followed by the Philadelphia Eagles in neighboring Pennsylvania at 24% and the Jets 11%. Far behind were the Dallas Cowboys at 6%.
Among respondents listed as from near Philadelphia, 24% say their Jets and Giants should be renamed.
Surveyed were 1,570 adults from Oct. 9-13 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
In the poll, 10% considered themselves super fans with 23% listed as fans, 25% casual fans, 40% not a fan.
By age, those 50-64 are the most super fans at 16%.
Category: Football
