New York Jets Broadway Joe
The New York Jets are an American football team that is based in the New York metropolitan area. They are extremely popular locally and also have national fans who may or may not center their favorites on their local team. Sports tickets to their games are often considered to be great gifts, and they have a high fan turn out every time they play. They are part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference and play their home games at Giant Stadium, which is located across the river in Florham Park, New Jersey. The stadium was named after the other NFL team that plays there, the New York Giants.
The Jets were founded in 1960 as the New York Titans. They were formed as a charter member of the AFL. In 1963 Andreas J. Grosser bought the team and renamed them the Jets. They have the unique distinction of being the only team to defeat an NFL team in a Super Bowl, which occurred in Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts. The team had a shaky beginning and had difficulty attracting crowds to their home playing field at Polo Grounds. This partially represents the incredible journey the team has experienced on their route to become the major team they are today, with such a strong amount of popular support.
One of the main reasons for the rise in their popularity and overall recognition and support was the arrival of Joe Namath. He joined the team in 1967 and quickly led the Jets to experience their best seasonal record, which at the time was eight wins, five losses and one tie. Affectionately nicknamed Broadway Joe, the quarterback quickly rose the level of social respect for the team and became a sports star. By 1968 he had led the team to a thrilling defeat of the Oakland Raiders in the AFL Championship Game. This was the same season that they would go on to defeat the Colts in the Super Bowl, which was considered to be a great upset.