Editing New York Jets (section)

==Stadiums==
[[File:Shea Stadium exterior 1964.jpg|250px|thumb|Shea Stadium, 1964]]
Owner Harry Wismer sought out a place for the team to play their home games but was only able to secure the dilapidated [[Polo Grounds]], which had not had a major tenant since the baseball [[New York Giants (MLB)|New York Giants]] vacated the stadium in 1957. The Titans played their first four seasons at the stadium—in the final season they were renamed the Jets. The Titans shared the stadium with [[Major League Baseball|baseball's]] new expansion team, the [[New York Mets]], for two years before both teams moved to [[Shea Stadium]] in Queens in 1964. The Jets hold the distinction of being the final team to host a game at the Polo Grounds, a 19–10 loss to the [[Buffalo Bills]] on December 14, 1963.<ref name="Polo Grounds">Chastain, pp. 75–76</ref>

Wismer hoped the then Titans could play in what would become known as Shea Stadium beginning in 1961.<ref name="Ryczek">Ryczek, pp. 158–159</ref> However, funding difficulties and legal problems delayed construction of the stadium.<ref name="Ryczek"/> Wismer signed a [[memorandum of understanding]] in late 1961 to secure the Titans' new home.<ref name="Ryczek"/> That memorandum recognized that the Mets would have exclusive use of the stadium until they had completed their season. As the team moved to Shea under new ownership, they were, in most years, required to open the season with several road games, a problem made worse in 1969 and 1973 when the Mets had long playoff runs.<ref name="Ryczek"/><ref name="Chastain, Shea">Chastain, pp. 87–88</ref>

Feeling that this arrangement put the Jets at a disadvantage, the team announced in 1977 that they would play two home games a year during the month of September at the Giants' new home in New Jersey, [[Giants Stadium]]. Litigation began between New York City and the Jets over the issue, and in the lawsuit's settlement, the city agreed to allow the Jets to play two September home games a season at Shea beginning in 1978 for the remaining six years in the Jets' lease. In 1977, the Jets were to play one September game at Giants Stadium and an October 2 game at Shea.<ref>{{cite news|title=Court Accord Keeps Football Jets at Shea Stadium|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/27/archives/court-accord-keeps-football-jets-at-shea-stadium-cards-set-back.html?sq=jets+giants+stadium+1978&scp=3&st=p|work=The New York Times|author1=Eskenazi, Gerald|author2=McGowen, Deane|date=May 27, 1977|access-date=November 10, 2010|archive-date=July 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723004447/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/27/archives/court-accord-keeps-football-jets-at-shea-stadium-cards-set-back.html?sq=jets+giants+stadium+1978&scp=3&st=p|url-status=live}}</ref>

In spite of these issues, majority owner Leon Hess was interested in renewing the team's lease at Shea, which was due to expire in 1983. Hess negotiated with New York mayor [[Ed Koch]].<ref name="Meadowlands">Eskenazi, pp.210–212</ref> Hess wanted the city to redevelop the stadium to expand its capacity. He also hoped to renegotiate other aspects of the lease—the Jets received no money from ticketholders parking at Shea. Hess's proposals met resistance from Koch.<ref name="Meadowlands"/> When negotiations reached an impasse, the Jets announced their intention to depart for New Jersey.<ref name="Meadowlands"/> On December 10, 1983, the Jets played their final game at Shea and lost to the Steelers 34–7.<ref name="Chastain, Shea"/> As fans pillaged the stadium for mementos, the scoreboard read "N.J. Jets" in reference to the Jets' departure to the Meadowlands.<ref name="Chastain, Shea"/>

When the Jets joined the Giants at the stadium, many Jets fans hoped the name, Giants Stadium, would be changed. However, the Giants, who had the authority to approve the change, refused.<ref name="Meadowlands2">Chastain, pp. 72–73</ref> In an effort to conceal the fact that they played in a stadium built and decorated for another team, the stadium grounds crew was assigned to make the stadium more Jet-friendly during Jets games by putting up green banners and placing the Jets' logo over the Giants'. No change could be made to the blue and red seating bowl.<ref name="Meadowlands2"/> The Jets were featured in the first NFL playoff game in the stadium's history, falling to the Patriots on December 28, 1985.<ref name="Meadowlands2"/>

As the Jets sought to become a stronger franchise and remove themselves from their counterparts' shadow, the team entered into negotiations with the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] in an attempt to [[West Side Stadium|build a stadium]] on the west side of [[Manhattan]], entering a bidding war with TransGas Energy Systems and [[Cablevision]] for the rights to the [[West Side Yard]] property—Hess, prior to his death, had been approached by former mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] about bringing the team to the West Side when their lease at Giants Stadium expired in 2008.<ref name="West Side bid">{{cite news|title=N.F.L. Owners Vote to Give the Jets a Super Bowl|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/24/sports/football/24nfl.html|work=The New York Times|author=Brown, Clifton|date=March 24, 2005|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912213818/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/24/sports/football/24nfl.html?_r=1|archive-date=September 12, 2012|access-date=March 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Sports of The Times; Hess Mulled The Return Of the Jets|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E1DA173FF93AA35756C0A96F958260|work=The New York Times|author=Anderson, Dave|date=May 9, 1999|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713073126/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E1DA173FF93AA35756C0A96F958260|archive-date=July 13, 2012|access-date=March 25, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cablevision was fixated against the Jets owning the land as [[Madison Square Garden]], located only a few blocks away, would be forced to compete with the stadium.<ref name="West Side bid"/> Team owners had voted, 31–1, with the Buffalo Bills the only objectors, to award the 2010 Super Bowl to New York contingent on the Jets winning the bid and completing construction of the stadium prior to 2010.<ref name="West Side bid"/>

[[File:New Meadowlands Stadium.jpg|thumb|200px|right|An inside view of [[MetLife Stadium]] during the first-ever preseason matchup there between the Giants and Jets]]
The MTA unanimously voted to sell the land to the Jets for approximately $210&nbsp;million as the committee agreed that having the stadium would be beneficial in the long run.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jets Win Stadium Battle by 2 Touchdowns (the Vote Is 14–0)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/nyregion/01stadium.html|work=The New York Times|author1=Chan, Sewell|author2=Charles V. Bagli|date=April 1, 2005|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909000342/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/nyregion/01stadium.html?_r=1|archive-date=September 9, 2012|access-date=March 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> An angry Cablevision, community groups and transportation advocates were determined to derail the Jets' attempts at building the stadium and two lawsuits challenging the construction of the stadium on environmental grounds were filed.<ref name="Enviro. WSS">{{cite news|title=2 Groups Sue to Halt Action on Jets Stadium|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/nyregion/23stadium.html|work=The New York Times|author=Bagli, Charles V.|date=December 23, 2004|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906111532/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/nyregion/23stadium.html?_r=1|archive-date=September 6, 2012|access-date=March 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Although confident they could secure the stadium, their hopes were dashed when [[Sheldon Silver]] and [[Joseph L. Bruno]], both of whom held veto power over the stadium construction, refused to support the project, alleging it would hurt rather than help the development of the West Side.<ref name="Enviro. WSS"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Olympic Bid Hurt as New York Fails in West Side Stadium Quest|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/nyregion/07stadium.html|work=The New York Times|author1=Bagli, Charles V.|author2=Michael Cooper|date=June 7, 2005|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911040410/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/nyregion/07stadium.html?_r=1|archive-date=September 11, 2012|access-date=March 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Defeated, the Jets agreed to enter a 50–50 joint venture with their rival, the Giants, to build a new stadium effectively agreeing to a 99-year lease, which the Giants had signed earlier in the year, to remain in New Jersey.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|title=Jets and Giants Agree to Share New Stadium|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/sports/football/29cnd-stadium.html|work=The New York Times|author=Bagli, Charles V.|date=September 29, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615054308/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/sports/football/29cnd-stadium.html?_r=1|archive-date=June 15, 2022|access-date=March 21, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The stadium, known as MetLife Stadium, became the first in the history of the NFL to be jointly built by two franchises.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Giants-Jets stadium to cost in range of $1B|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2256823|publisher=ESPN|agency=Associated Press|date=December 12, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106172808/http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2256823|archive-date=November 6, 2012|access-date=March 23, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> The stadium, which is illuminated in different colors depending on which team is hosting a game, opened in April 2010 and saw the Jets and Giants open the stadium together in a preseason exhibition game.<ref name="Warm up">{{cite web|title=Owners warm up to New York/New Jersey as Super Bowl XLVIII host|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8184fc83&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true|publisher=National Football League|agency=Associated Press|year=2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115141741/http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8184fc83&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true|archive-date=November 15, 2011|access-date=March 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Jets and Giants to Play in Preseason Meadowlands Stadium Opener|url=http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2010/04/jets_and_giants_to_play_in_pre.html|work=New York Magazine|author=DeLessio, Joe|date=April 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405033238/http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2010/04/jets_and_giants_to_play_in_pre.html|archive-date=April 5, 2010|access-date=July 19, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Jets' first regular season home game at the new stadium was held on September 13, 2010, and was shown nationwide on [[Monday Night Football]]. New York lost to the [[Baltimore Ravens|Ravens]] 10–9.<ref>{{cite news|title=In Ugly Debut, Reality Sets in for Jets|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/sports/football/14jets.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Jets%20Ravens&st=cse|work=The New York Times|author=Bishop, Greg|date=September 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023080106/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/sports/football/14jets.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=Jets%20Ravens&st=cse|archive-date=October 23, 2018|access-date=January 22, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Team owners voted to have the stadium host [[Super Bowl XLVIII]], held in 2014.<ref name="Warm up"/>