JET FANS - THE NEXT GENERATION?

On Friday, October 16th, my sister gave birth to her first child. A glorious time for her, her husband and the whole family. But while visiting at the hospital, for fun, I asked how soon before they indoctrinate their son with Jet onesies, and they both immediately shot me a look like DON'T YOU DARE.

You see, my sister grew up watching her father and four brothers groan, agonize, and scream at the television while the Jets were on. She, like my mother, always asked why the HECK we did this to ourselves year after year. I don't blame them. Who wants to see their loved ones suffer?

Therefore my sister knows better than anyone the rough road we Jet fans travel. I can understand not wanting her son to be sucked in like the tractor beam to the Death Star. In time he may choose to join us. But for now, he shall remain untouched by our meddling.

My brother Mike and his wife Sabrina had a bouncing baby boy in May, and I've already seen him in a Jet onesie. I asked them if they had any reservation about making him go green. Mike said he didn't even think of it.

We met another fan the day of the Patriot game, (where'd that amazing Jet team go?), and he and his wife said their child was also introduced to the wearing of the green without question.

As we've been interviewing and meeting great Jet fans, the common thread to becoming a Jet fan was family. You're born into it. Not all fans we've met, but the majority.

Now, our families could never anticipate the Jets going 40 years without a Superbowl appearance. But these are the facts of this club. And though yes we're rebuilding (again) and it's going to take time to see how it turns out (more years of waiting), I feel the question is a valid one.

DO WE SUBJECT THE NEXT GENERATION TO THIS FATE?

Do we break the chain? Do we ween them off the green and white? Get them into another team, ANY team and let them "pull" for the Jets (the mildest form of fan-dom) in a casual sense? Not let them get fanatical/hysterical/emotionally committed/drained?

This question is for YOU to answer, in your own lives, in your own actions. Cause if the Jets Curse is in fact the reality that WE'RE cursed by loving them, then the reality of passing the curse to the next generation is in your hands.

May you choose wisely...

Mark J. Williamson