The Jets have been the most negatively spoken about team on national TV for half a century
Jets fans, you have a legitimate gripe.
The Ian Eagles and Kevin Harlans of the world do, in fact, speak more negatively about the Jets than any other team.
While every sports fan has been howling for years about Joe Buck and Troy Aikman having a bias against their team (Buck in multiple sports), Gang Green fans can say it truthfully, knowing the data backs them up.
An article by Betting.com titled “Bias in the booth – who are the most criticized of NFL franchises?” presents the results of an analysis of over 250,000 plays across 50 years of NFL broadcast transcripts. The Jets came in as the No. 1 most negatively discussed team in the league.
The article cites the recent controversy surrounding Zach Wilson’s postgame comments after the Jets’ Week 11 loss as a reason that the negative talk won’t go away anytime soon. However, this analysis represented data from across 50 years; it’s likely not specifically sensitive to recent events. This means that year in and year out, the Jets are criticized more often than other teams.
Meanwhile, another much-maligned franchise came out in the top five most positively discussed teams: the Cleveland Browns. This tells you that it’s not just about the quality of play, because Cleveland has won fewer games at a lower rate than the Jets over the past 50 years. Since 1972, the Browns have a .409 win percentage, the third-worst among all teams, while the Jets’ is .433, the seventh-worst.
It remains unclear exactly what criteria were used for positive and negative comments. Presumably, this was done with some sort of word analysis tool rather than people listening to each and every broadcast. Therefore, the methodology would be interesting to note.
Still, the fact that the Jets are No. 1 definitely jibes with everything Jets fans have known about the team’s presentation in the national media. It follows that the national broadcasts would be biased against them, as well.
Maybe some Jets fans want to mute the audio on TV broadcasts and listen to Bob Wischusen and Marty Lyons on ESPN 98.7 FM, at least for those who are in the New York/New Jersey area. Though the syncing is not the easiest in the world, it will likely make for a more enjoyable total experience on Sundays.
Take, for example, Wischusen’s call of the Jets’ miracle comeback against Cleveland (ironically, given this article) earlier this year. Compare that to Spero Dedes’s TV call. Which one would you rather listen to?
So, Jets fans, there’s a reason to keep that chip on your shoulder. The NFL landscape really does disrespect the Green and White. Let’s see if the team can silence those naysayers on the field.
