Green Smoke

By Lou

You meet someone; things are going great. You have similar likes and dislikes; things are good, and then you find their red flag… ‘I’m a Bears fan.’

I mean, what do you say to that? Other than that, at least they don’t support the Patriots. Imagine that?! *shudders*

The Jets and Bears have only played each other 13 times since 1974, and during the time we’ve been together since 2008, we have only had four matchups.

2010 – Jets lost

2014 – Jets lost

2018 – Jets lost

2022 – Jets finally won!

A lot has happened for both our teams in that time, but what strikes me is actually how similar our experience In 2008 the Jets starter was Brett Favre with Eric Mangini at the helm, and we went 9-7. The Bears similarly went 9-7 with Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman with HC Lovie Smith. This year, both teams fired their HC during the season and went 5-12. In a similar mix of fate, both teams just hired coaches from the Lions. Does this mean our luck is about to change? Could this be it—could we finally have more celebrations between us in 2025… It’s going to be a long offseason, that’s for sure!

Like the old saying goes, misery loves company. Is it easier that both of our teams are struggling to get a rebuild right or make our way to the playoffs?… ahem, the longest active playoff droughts (at least we win something). What if we supported teams in the same division? I do know a couple of people who go through regular matches every season in their household. I asked them how they cope with ‘good humour and separate TVs’ being the familiar response. Seems like a sensible plan to me!

I do remember the 2022 game quite vividly, and whilst most of the time we fully support each other’s teams (although you won’t catch me in Bears merch), this day was set in the diary. We even tried to encourage our dogs to pick a team, much to their disdain!

Week 12 at Metlife…The game was great for the Jets; Mike Frickin White was playing the best he had done and threw 315 yards and three touchdowns, two to Garrett Wilson and one to Elijah Moore (remember him?!). You ask… did I take the win calmly with sportsmanlike conduct? Absolutely not; I was very annoying and maybe slightly obnoxious—but all in fun. I asked my Bears husband, Lee, what he thought about us supporting separate teams and how he finds it during one of the occasional matchups:

“Is the occasional matchup between the Jets and the Bears always met with good humour in our house? Of course one of us might get a little bit overexcited about it (clue: it’s not me), but honestly supporting the teams that we do, it mostly falls to a sense of “it is what it is” whatever the outcome. The Bears and the Jets have struggled and strived for a number of years, and there is at least a shared sense of understanding of the misery that ensues throughout each season when the inevitable outcome seems to just land the same as the previous season. That being said, if one of us supported a remotely successful team, I’m sure it would quickly become very annoying. I do quietly find myself willing the Jets success (mostly when it’s a Bear bye-week) because of that shared understanding towards “the struggle” and a sense of rooting for the underdog in the league (team dependent, of course). But all that goes out of the window when it’s a Jets vs. Bears matchup. It reminds me of the Simpsons episode “Lisa on Ice” when Bart and Lisa are on opposing ice hockey teams and the hilarious quote from Homer when they play against each other…”The winner will be showered with praise. The loser will be taunted and booed until my throat is sore!“.

We’ve been to all the Jets and Bears games that have been played in London and will always rep our own teams but support each other—the Bears do have some great 80s merch I have quite the soft spot for too! I also hugely appreciate that it took a lot for a Bears fan to watch and vaguely support Aaron Rodgers at the recent London game. And it’s not just us mere mortals with other halves or family members that just won’t wear another team’s jersey. Kylie Kelce went viral when she refused to wear any Chiefs gear to the Super Bowl in support of her brother-in-law.

‘Kylie got some love from the Philadelphia fans for her continued refusal to wear Chiefs gear, even though she has personal connections,’ Jason Kelce said. ‘She’ll wear other universities but she won’t wear other NFL teams. She wore a red tee, and that was her nod to it. Which I think is a great way to show support but stay true to yourself!’

Opposing team fans can coexist very well; for me, it helps that we are of a similar calibre. Yes, we have had some fleeting good times, but it’s nice having someone around who gets it! Tired of a rebuild, tired of the next saviour—but at least when one team wins, it makes the vibe of the house better! There are plenty of Jets fans with other halves who support different teams: Nic (Jets Fan) and Kimmi (Raiders Queen) have, over the years, faced off many times in the USA, the UK, and even in Catalonia. 

Kimmi told me, “We’ve coexisted pretty well as rivals because no matter what stick he’s tried to give me, I’ve just come back with, ‘Well, we have three Super Bowls.’ Doesn’t matter that our last Super Bowl was over four decades ago; it’s two more and still more recent than the Jets’ 1969 Tiffany win! Hahaha! With our teams being in the same conference but different divisions, we play each other quite often, six times since I started following the NFL and the Raiders (from 2014), and in that time, the Silver and Black have a 4-2 winning record against Gang Green. Of those six matchups, we’ve been to two live games—the MetLife in ‘19, where we lost on my actual birthday (devastating) and Allegiant Stadium in ‘23, where we got the W. The other games have been watched on telly, and we’re that invested in seeing the other be more miserable than usual; we even managed to watch a matchup while away in Barcelona back in ’17. I can’t remember who won that time, but I’m going to say the Raiders, as let’s be honest, that’s the most likely outcome! I have to admit that I’m coming across quite mean here, but there is nothing but love. When we’ve not played each other, I’ve cheered for the Jets and he’s rooted for the Raiders. Nonetheless, you’ve never found either of us wearing the other’s team colours; that’s a step too far! We were at MetLife for a Jets vs. Colts game, and I wore my team colours with pride, which meant I stood out like a sore thumb—I got a few boos but also some fist bumps. I will say that both the Jets and Raiders fans we’ve met in the States have always been welcoming, and always curious as to why we’re a house divided.”

There’s also Frazer, the inaugural New York Jets’ International Fan of the Year, and his other half Laura, who is an Eagles fan. The difference for this pair is one of them has been thriving in recent years, so I asked how that has been for them:

“I would say it’s pretty chill when it comes to different teams in our household; Laura has a soft spot for the Jets due to how I was treated during my award as IFOTY, something she was able to experience with me. She has seen firsthand the passion Jets fans have at Gang Green UK and Gotham City Crew events and just wants to see the Jets do well for all their fans; as long as it doesn’t affect her beloved Eagles, she will happily root for NY wins. As for me, I am similar; I will happily root for an Eagles team as long as it has no effect on my team at all. When it comes to the Jets vs. Eagles games, it can be pretty emotional in the household, though we are used to it, as she is a Liverpool FC fan and I am a Man Utd fan, so the rivalry, when it does happen, is always fun. It does, however, as a Jets fan, suck to be watching her every year get excited about the playoffs and enjoying Super Bowl runs, something I can only hope one day I get to experience. Hopefully a soon-to-come Super Bowl appearance is a Jets v. Eagles encounter so we can experience it together at whatever stadium that may be in.”

You also have Lucinda (a Jets fan) and Charles (a Commanders fan), and that Commanders team has shown you can have a rookie QB and a new HC and do great things; we all aspire to this! So when you are next at a UK Jets game meet-up and you see a rogue jersey of a team that they aren’t playing against… It’s probably the other half of a Jets fan refusing to commit the treason of wearing another team’s jersey but will support them by sacrificing their evening.