Both times I have seen Aaron Rodgers play football (in-person), the Jets have won. The first time was on October 16th, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. My wife and I went to see the Jets play at Lambeau Field. Going to a game at Lambeau was a bucket list item for me and I was surprised that my wife agreed to go.
Lambeau lived up to the hype. The energy was incredible and there wasn’t really a bad seat in the house. We sat next to some true Wisconsin men, sipping on some Miller Lite tall boys. They were college friends in their mid-40s who reunited for a Packers game each season. They were very friendly1 and interested in our lives in New York. My wife asked them how they felt about Aaron Rodgers. One of them replied “he’s kind of like that hot girlfriend that you know is bad for you, and will probably cheat on you, but you can’t bring yourself to breakup with her.”
The game started and it was clear that the Jets defense had the upper hand on the Packers. Sauce Gardner had a pick six that was called back, but energized the Jets fans in the crowd. As the game went on I felt more emboldened to get loud and proud with my obnoxious east coast attitude2.
In the 4th quarter, right before the two minute warning it was clear that the Jets would win the game. As the Packers fans filed toward the exits, every Jets fan in the building rushed toward the Jets bench. We joined them just in time to see Sauce run back out onto the field donning the famous Packers cheese hat. It was one of the most fun games I’ve ever been to.
If you had told anyone at the stadium that day that Aaron Rodgers would be on the Jets the following season, they would not have believed you. However the Jets followed up this game with a season of inconsistent play at quarterback and some untimely injuries, while Green Bay wrestled with the decision to move on from the guy who had been their quarterback for 18 seasons.
Rodgers ended up on the Jets. The Jets ended up on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” I ended up at MetLife Stadium on September 11th, 2023. The hype for a new era of Jets football reached an all time high on Monday night in East Rutherford as Rodgers marched onto the field.
The hype ended four plays later.
When I saw Rodgers go down I knew it was bad. When I saw them bring out the cart to wheel him into the locker room, my worst fears were confirmed.
I have never experienced a public spectacle like the one I saw on Monday night. 82,000 people psychically struggling with what they just saw. The accumulation of all those offseason hopes and Super Bowl dreams, dashed in a few short plays. Text messages from friends and family started rolling in with condolences and comforting words3. It was hard to pay attention to the remainder of the first half.
At half time I walked down to the concourse and bumped into a friend of mine. It was a nice pick me up and a reminder that sports fandom is more about connecting with people, despite the outcome on the field. I realized that I assign a lot of emotional labor4 to my sports teams. I committed myself to just enjoying the remainder of the game and not looking at my phone.
The Jets defense showed up in the second half. They hassled Josh Allen and forced the Bills offense to stall out several times.
Then the Jets offense woke up. Garrett Wilson made an incredible touchdown catch to tie up the game.
The Jets and Bills traded field goals. The game went to overtime.
The Bills won the toss and elected to receive. The Jets defense stopped them and the punt team walked on the field. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Gipson was back to receive.
Gipson is 22 years old. He was born only six months before the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and grew up only in the “Post-9/11” world.
9/11 has shifting meanings for many of us who were around on that day, and how it has affected our live since. It is something we all work through, and every New Yorker has a evolving perspective of what it all meant.
Before I walked into the stadium I caught a glimpse of One World Trade Center just across the river and reflected on the time that has passed since that day.
The meaning of the day will continue to evolve as our world changes and as the day becomes less of a lived experience for us and more a part of history.
Gipson was one of the feel good stories of the offseason. He was signed as an undrafted free agent and worked his way through Jets training camp. The odds on him making the team were low. However, his commitment and discipline resulted in him earning a coveted roster spot on a team with ambitious goals.
When I saw the line drive kick peel off the punter’s foot I knew something special might happen. Gipson caught the ball with room to run. He juke stepped one tackler, then broke down field. I had the vantage point to see a clear lane almost all the way to the end zone.
Jets Win.
The good vibes were restored in MetLife Stadium. The sell out crowd was elated after a first half of despair.
Rodgers will not be returning to the field this season. He might never play again. In many ways this could have been a “same old Jets” moment, but the ending offered a different perspective.
None of us can predict the outcome of any endeavor. The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. In the moments when things go awry, our response is the true test of character.
The next morning I digested the highs and lows of what I had witnessed the night before. I turned my phone off Do Not Disturb mode. A text from a friend had come in:
Time heals all wounds and grants perspective to all victories and defeats.
The night before my wife and I overheard a conversation between two Jets fans who had travelled to Green Bay for the game. Paraphrasing, but it went something like…
Guy 1: Do you think I have to worry about getting into any fights with Packers fans?
Guy 2: Are you kidding me?!? These people will shake your hand and suck your dick before they start a fight.
True Midwestern hospitality.
See footnote 1.
I was more or less asking for someone to hit me, but no one obliged.
Thank you to those who have reached out to me this week. If nothing else, it confirms that you are all acutely aware of my challenging relationship with my sports teams. It was a nice reminder that people care about me and respect my sports fandom.
flexing my millennial “therapy speak” right here