Which Football Team Is Most Popular in New Jersey?

by Staff

New Jersey is one of the few American states with more than one NFL team, despite the fact that no teams mention this state in their name. 

Which are the most popular teams here and what do you need to know about them?

The New York Jets

The Jets started life in 1959, under the name of the Titans of New York, and were one of the founding members of the American Football League. They joined the NFL in 1970 and moved to Meadowlands in NJ in 1984. Their current home is the MetLife stadium, which they share with the Giants.

In terms of success, the Jets are one of only two teams to win the Super Bowl in their only attempt. Since their sole win in this game came in Super Bowl III, against the Baltimore Colts, they currently have one of the longest droughts in the NFL. 

The Jets have about 1.8 million Facebook fans and 1.2 million followers on Twitter in 2021. They have an average attendance of 72,247 from 7 games in 2021, which puts them in 5th spot in the NFL, a couple of places behind local rivals the Giants.

The New York Giants

The Giants are one of the oldest teams in the NFL, as they joined way back in 1925. They are also high on the list of the most successful football teams, with 4 Super Bowl victories following on from 4 championship wins in the pre-Super Bowl era.  Their last Super Bowl win came against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

Their biggest rivals are arguably the Philadelphia Eagles, which has been described as one of the best rivalries in football. They tend not to play the Jets often, which perhaps helps to explain the lack of a genuine sense of rivalry between these teams. Since they both play in the MetLife Stadium, games between the Jets and Giants are known as the MetLife Bowl.   

In social media, the Giants have about 3.7 million fans on Facebook and 1.8 million followers on Twitter.  Their average attendance at home is slightly higher than the Jets manage and they have traditionally been viewed as the most popular team in the New York and New Jersey areas.

The reason for this is possibly their longer and more successful history, when compared to the Jets. With such a strong history, it is easy to see the Giants as one of the most attractive NFL teams.   

You can check the chances of the Jets and Giants of going to the playoffs here: edge.twinspires.com/nfl/odds/

Other Notable Teams to Play in New Jersey

The New Jersey Generals played a few seasons of USFL games in the Giants Stadium back in the early 1980s, with Donald Trump owning them in the last couple of years. A proposed move to New York never came through and the team slipped out of existence in 1985. 

The New Jersey Hitmen were another team that tried to win over local sports fans, but got off to a disastrous start with their opening game in the Eastern Division of the XFL. 

Their average attendance of about 28,000 spectators made them one of the best-supported teams in the league. They have since re-emerged as the New York Guardians in the new XFL, playing out of New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium together with the NFL teams mentioned earlier.

Summary

All 3 of the teams playing out of New Jersey are well-supported, which confirms that this is a part of the country with a huge number of football fans in it. 

The Giants have historically been the most popular team in NJ, but there are enough people here who love football to keep all 3 going strong.

Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur

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The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.

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