When is your team not longer your team?

As a Jets/Mets/Knicks fan...you get used to it.

That said, a man should never change his team. That ain't right.

I've been with the Jets since 1967, and assimilated in when I started hearing about this guy called Joe Namath. The on, and off the field exploits locked me in with the Jets back then, and I'm still here, in spite of some really embarrasing seasons. I'll be honest, about the only thing that would end it would be a combination of the Jets moving to another area of the country, changing their name, and colors. Other than that, I'm here until they throw a shovel of dirt in my face. The only thing I ask for on Sundays is for 3 uninterupted hours while I watch the game.

I'm typically a guy who doesn't like change. I used to see a major change in HC, QB, GM, significant players as the start of a long, slow rebuild. I used to think that getting rid of someone meant we were at rock bottom and had to start a long, slow climb upwards. But my thinking has changed on this. I do think that a major change can result in immediate success. We've seen it before when a new guy comes in....last year with Chip Kellly, and of course our own 2009 Jets under Rex Ryan with a rookie QB. So my caution would be this, don't automatically assume we'll have years of pain simply because we're completely rebooting the front office and coaching staff. None of us know how this will turn out but there's something to be said for doing a cleansing like this. Our Jets have degraded from a roster standpoint ever since that 2010-2011 playoff win in Foxboro. Who would have ever thought that would be the height of that team? But neglect by Tannenbaum and Idzik, as well as some stale coaching from Rex (meaning he hit his ceiling early and never really improved), left the Jets no choice.

To your key question about when your team is no longer your team - The Jets will always be my team. I root for the uniform, I appreciate our long, tortured and occasionally successful history, I grew up with my father taking me to Jets games....so I'm in. It's a marriage if you will, for better or for worse, in losses and in wins, til death do us part. It can be tough, no doubt about it, but when you root for a team and stick with them through the tough times it makes the successes so much more enjoyable.

Back in 1975, Randy Rasmussen came to my pee wee football awards dinner and signed autographs. I was in awe. At the time I rooted for both the Jets and the Raiders (I was drawn to the silver and black outlaw thing). After that night, I was totally committed to the Jets and have been ever since. I've had friends and family bail out over the years to the likes of the Dolphins, Cowboys and Giants. My youngest son, who is sadly not a big football fan, declared himself a Giants fan after all of his friends, who are also Giants fans, were all excited and pumped after their last SB win. Can't blame the kid....he's always asking me why I root for the Jets when I'm constantly yelling (and cursing, I admit) at them each Sunday, and then I'm bummed afterwards.

Loyalty.

Not unbelievable just frustrating to 'true' fans I guess. Read that Deadspin article, hits the nail on the head. Mainly just how they presented that commercial, basically celebrating the practice of being a fair weathered fan. Like the kid literally has a hamburger and suddenly he's a Steelers fan...fucking stupid.

Very noble of you.  I feel the same way.