The more the New York Jets talk, the more we get the impression that they are a team whose No. 2 goal (assuming winning a championship is No. 1) is to be hated. In fact, it has gotten to the point where I’m fairly certain they’re under the impression that they are hated much more than they actually are. Patriots fans, along with Tom Brady, hate them, but I don’t think the rest of the NFL cares that much. I’d even go as far as to say their desire to be despised has reached the point of desperation. Have a look at some of the things Jets players told the NY Daily News:
Antonio Cromartie: “We’re the Miami Heat of football.”
Mark Sanchez: (Talking about conversations with G.M. Mike Tannenbaum) “He’s like, ‘We’re picking up another one.’ I was like, ‘Geez! What’s going on here? We’re building a dream team.'”
Bart Scott: “It’s much more fun to be the villain than the hero.”
I don’t know if the Jets are under the impression that they’re the New York Yankees or the New England Patriots of earlier this decade, but you can’t just trash talk your way into being despised — you have to earn it with championships. A team with no hardware isn’t even worth hating.
People hate the Miami Heat because they just signed two of the NBA’s best players and retained another. They hate the Heat because LeBron James is selfish and arrogant. Even still, does anyone really hate the Heat that much yet? Probably not. You know why? Because if the Heat fall flat on their face and never win a championship we’ll all love them and enjoy watching them play.
Bart Scott wishes the Jets were the villain, but they aren’t. Rex Ryan wishes the same. They use HBO’s Hard Knocks and the mainstream media in an attempt to shoot their mouths off enough to accomplish that goal, but it won’t happen until people can no longer say to themselves, “Let them talk. What have they won? Nothing.”
If New York makes it to the playoffs and has to face, say, the Patriots, everyone will be rooting for the men in green. If they lose, everyone will be rooting for them even harder if the same situation arises the following year and even harder if it happens the year after that. There’s only one way to be hated in the world that is professional sports — win, and win often.
Source:
NFL Preview 2010: It’s Super Bowl or bust for New York Jets – just ask them, they’ll tell you [NY Daily News]
