New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is excited for the Super Bowl to be coming to his home state next February. He would just like to remind everyone -- including the NFL apparently -- that Super Bowl XLVIII is not in New York.
In an interview with NFL Media's Melissa Stark that will air fully on NFL Network's "GameDay First" on Sunday, Christie took issue with the very name of the New York Jets and New York Giants.
"Yeah, well, because they practice in New Jersey, they play in New Jersey; most of their players live in New Jersey," Christie said. "There's nothing left from New York about the Giants or the Jets, except for the name. It's kinda odd that they're called what they're called. But, you know as long as everyone understands that they are New Jersey's teams and that the Super Bowl this year is in New Jersey, not New York, then I'm fine."
As someone that lived in New York City for a decade, I can't really disagree with Christie. The Jets and Giants have long histories tied to New York. They used to play in New York and live in New York. Their fans largely are in New York. But the connection to the city and even the state of New York is tenuous at best at this stage except as an idea. It's not reality, aside from the Jets' training camp in Cortland, N.Y.
Christie knows his state often is the butt of jokes and gets treated like a little brother by New Yorkers. We don't blame him for claiming the Giants and Jets as his own.
The "Around The League Podcast" is now available on iTunes! Click here to listen and subscribe.
