Yes, you are probably correct but you have to remember I was a penniless northerner and Florida was not ever on my families holiday horizons.
Haha. Not me either mate. Never been to Florida. Until I went to NYC for the first time 10 years ago, my entire time in the USA was 2 hours in Buffalo. My dad drove us there from Toronto just so he could say we'd been to America. I was two years old.
UK Jets fan since C4 started showing highlights and the sack exchange was in full flow, had Jets VHS tapes mailed from a company called Pontel so I could watch "live" on a Thursday last weekends game.
I think a good proportion of Jets fans in the UK became so after week three of the 1986 season. That shootout against the Dolphins was the most exciting game I had ever seen up until that point. I was already bleeding green by then, but I think a lot of people fell in love with the team then. Marino was a superstar when the Super Bowl was shown live on UK TV after the 1984 season and the way he played was enough to get a lot of fans for the Fins. I agree with comments made earlier - the NFL is fooling itself if it thinks a London franchise would be well supported. Every NFL fan in the UK is already imprinted on a team. The London Royals would have a season full of away games as fans of whichever team was coming to play in London would buy up the tickets. In time, a new fan base would grow, but it would take a long time. I hope it never happens.
I started to follow the Jets when C4 showed games back in the late 70's early 80's. Loved the Sack Exchange and all that aggression. I;m sure that were the Dolphins got all their UK fans from too, as they were on TV nearly every week then.
Ah, Touchdown magazine. I'd forgotten about the First Down paper. I almost fell out of love with NFL after watching a live UK game between the Sheffield City Steelers and some London team (not the Ravens) for three hours in the pouring rain. Final score 6-0 (TD, missed XP). God, I was bored.
I am from England and I have been a Jets fan since about ‘84. I have met several others that live close to me who are Jets fans too. Given our lack of success it surprises me that we have quite a few UK Jets fans. What annoys me most is when I meet UK people that say they are Patriots fans. I ask why, and they usually say because they have been winning. I then follow that up with asking how they could support a team or players that have been caught cheating on numerous occasions, which then puts a question mark over their previous successes; and they stare at me blankly. That’s when I know they just occasionally watch a bit, or just watch the Super Bowl every year. For the UK fans who follow the NFL religiously, like myself, the most hated teams are the Cowboys and Cheatriots.
