Green Smoke

By Steven

Being a die-hard supporter of the New York Jets anywhere in the world is tough: enduring a rotating carousel of QBs with lots of “potential” (whatever that means); actually being tricked into believing that Adam Gase and Nathaniel Hackett were offensive masterminds; and championing the fact that we once again won the offseason, only to see our Offseason Championship Banner taken down 75 seconds into the season at the snap of one player’s ankle. No matter where I’ve resided, I’ve made being a Jets fan part of my core identity, and I have always leaned into the resilience I must have exhibited for staying a true fan for this long in the face of the consistent heartbreak.

So when I moved from Brooklyn to London in the summer of 2023 for a one-year work transfer, I knew I’d remain loyal but had no inkling in which way my fandom would evolve. I was focused on assimilating to my new Euro-life style and began to support Crystal Palace (a soccer club in the English Premier League, for those who aren’t aware) and didn’t know how I would adjust to now living five time zones away with more primetime games this season than we had in seemingly the last decade combined. I was confident that I’d still follow the team, but I was unsure of how deep of a level of support I’d be able to maintain in the face of leaning into my new European adventure.

I knew, for starters, that the NFL was doing their best to expand internationally (in England and beyond), but I had appreciation for the true level of support the NFL has with growing a substantial fan base on this side of the pond – I had thought the English would be sick of having the Jaguars shoved down their throats year after year. And it was a common trope for Americans to always make jokes whenever Wembley hosted the NFL about the sheer diversity of jerseys worn at games—these blokes can’t be real fans if they can’t field enough support to take over half of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But in the face of my preconceived notions of English and European NFL fans, I have been completely taken off guard by the dedication that so many fans here have shown. When I went to the Ravens versus Titans game (fixture!) at Tottenham in October, the fans I talked to weren’t just supporting a club as a flash in the pan but rather had been following the league more closely than I seemed to be. I found NFL fans in niche pockets far and wide and started to become jealous of what fandom they actually had. One of my new friends over here is a Scottish lad who got to witness his Green Bay Packers upset the Cowboys earlier in the playoffs, and I realised he was experiencing overwhelming joy that I haven’t felt as a Jets fan in over a decade. The games might be later over here, but the level of enthusiasm has by no means subsided.

What has been the absolute best surprise, then, is seeing that the Jets fandom was the strongest of any fanbase of them all. I found the “Hippodrome Jets” Twitter account – with its glorious 41 followers – in September, right before our season kicked off, as the account was advertising that a group of Jets fans would be watching our MNF Week 1 match-up against the Bills together at the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square. I was enticed, for sure, but I was already debating what I would do with a 1:15am kick-off and work early the next morning. But my heart beat out of my head, and I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to watch the start of our glorious season with fellow, equally excited Jets fans.

As any NFL fan knows, the game was an unmitigated disaster. After “winning the offseason” once again with the trade for Aaron Rodgers, our Super Bowl hopes went down in flames just 75 seconds into the season. But the pure joy and watching a miraculous comeback at a casino in Central London at 4:15am with some of the funniest British blokes gave me hope that this would be a fun season. Thinking back to when I moved here, trepid about how much I’d be able to support the Jets from abroad, is comical to think about now, knowing that I’ve found some of the most dedicated and loyal supporters anywhere in the world. I knew immediately as I was taking the bus home at 4:45 in the morning from Leicester Square that these fans were real and put many American fans to shame.

The legend of my friends—the British Jets fans—grew more and more every week as we got to know each other. We were all bonded by the same disappointment and devastation over what was supposed to be a promising season. But we all had a shared misery and a common goal that continued to unite us, no matter how disappointing the results were. I laughed when I saw that Jon, a sixty-year-old fan with a kid and another on the way, had his phone background of his son wearing a Jets jersey (I hope Jon likes the second child more!). I admired learning about Nic’s website and Green Smoke Socials, both in terms of his dedication to the Jets and his enthusiasm for all things Gang Green here in London. And I was thoroughly impressed by Al for the community he had built—through what sounds like a nearly decade in the making—by organising such a dedicated group of sad fans to continue to get together every week.

I am so looking forward to how next season plays out; as of writing, it looks like I’ll be staying at least another year, through 2025. We’ve already all talked about travelling to Nashville together to go to the Jets-Titans road game next season, and I know for sure if there is ever a Super Bowl on the cards, I’ll have plenty of friends to fly with to the big game, all the way from London. If the NFL ever wanted to showcase the growing global popularity of the sport, I’ve always believed that the Jets fans at the Hippodrome on Sundays was the best way to truly encapsulate what the NFL means to many fans who don’t even reside in America.

I haven’t read the NFL script yet, so I don’t know how the next few seasons will play out. But whether I’m living in London, New York, or wherever else in the world my travels take me, I’ll never forget how amazing the transition over here was by finding British Jets fans that were even more dedicated than I am. Thanks to the group for welcoming this Yank from across the pond with such open arms.

Now, if only Crystal Palace could start to produce some results as well… but I guess that’s a story for another blog post.