There’s a double standard applied to the New York Jets and their crosstown rivals
Life is not good for the New York Jets right now.
They just finished their season 7-10 and still brought back the whole coaching staff. Meanwhile, their best pass rusher may leave in free agency, their star receiver vented his frustration, and their left tackle and star running back called out the offensive line coach. They face a myriad of questions about the future of their roster even with Aaron Rodgers.
However, lost in the shuffle is the saga on the other side of town. Somehow, the New York media has managed to gloss over the publicized rift between Brian Daboll and Wink Martindale, which grew so large that the defensive coordinator told his friends he was resigning and then disappeared.
Just listen to Boomer and Gio on the subject — an epic melodrama playing out on full display as Daboll fired two of Martindale’s assistants.
Boomer and @GioWFAN react to the latest report regarding the Brian Daboll/Wink Martindale feud:@WFANmornings pic.twitter.com/dbl6zBkvkM
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) January 10, 2024
As Robby Sabo points out, the tone here can best be described as “subdued.” Whatever criticism there is is immediately muted by giving credit to Daboll.
It's funny to really dig into and wholly realize the contrasting *tones* between #Jets and Giants talk on the airwaves and in the general media. When the Jints' HC and DC are at each other's throats, with one man telling everybody he's resigning, fleeing the scene, and, not to… https://t.co/FCnSFZtr7M
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) January 10, 2024
This reflects a general hypocrisy in the New York media when covering the two local football teams. The overall attitude is that the Giants are a classic franchise while the Jets are the little brother. Over the last decade, that has hardly been the case, as they’ve been the two worst franchises in the NFL — but the narrative lives on.
Did the way Joe Judge was fired in 2021 after the owner had previously stated Judge would be back cause as much hoopla as the fact that Robert Saleh wasn’t? Is there a subtle or not-so-subtle difference in the way reporters who cover both teams simultaneously slant their narratives?
Somehow, there is a desire for the “Same Old Jets” narrative that just does not exist with the Giants. Even Carl Banks’ departure from his weekly WFAN spot due to a tiff with Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata over Kayvon Thibodeaux became a stand-alone story. When it’s Aaron Rodgers feuding with anyone? Front-page news.
Clearly, SOJ sells in a way that SOG doesn’t, even though both teams have made many mistakes over the years. In fact, of the Giants’ four Super Bowls, three came in major underdog fashion. The crucial difference between the 2009-10 Jets and the 2007 and 2011 Giants is that the Giants managed to win it all, but isn’t that a toss-up every season? If not for those two glorious runs of fate (after 10-6 and 9-7 finishes), how would the Giants’ last 2+ decades of football appear?
The Giants are one of the original franchises, and they appear to own New York in a way the Jets never will. Therefore, the microscope will forever be zoomed in on the Jets and largely glossed over for the Giants.
