海角大神

For decades, the long and often tortured relationship between New York and New Jersey has played itself out on the gridiron of football.

That gridiron, however, has been in the wetlands of New Jersey since the 1970s 鈥� 10 miles west of the globally bright Manhattan skyline, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, N.J., population 8,978. The complex is a lonely concrete island of parking lots just off the turnpike, still surrounded by bogs and marshes, and holding a horse track, an indoor arena, and the new MetLife Stadium 鈥� the Garden State home of the Jets and Giants and site of Super Bowl XLVIII.

Though America鈥檚 most celebrated television event is officially sponsored by both sides of the Hudson, and though the NFL says it has scheduled more events in New Jersey, the Super Bowl is regularly referred to as just New York鈥檚 鈥� the identity of its two NFL hosts.

There鈥檇 be a nice alliterative ring to the 鈥淛ersey Jets鈥� or 鈥淛ersey Giants,鈥� of course, but, truthfully, neither team鈥檚 owners would ever give up their famous brands with the New York City cachet. The legend of 鈥淏roadway Joe鈥� Namath, the most famous of the Jets, just wouldn鈥檛 be the same if he were 鈥淗oboken Joe.鈥� And how giant would the Jersey Giants be in the shadows of the biggest 鈥� and some would say most arrogant 鈥� city in the country?

Though other professional sports teams have stadiums outside their civic namesakes, too, New Jersey鈥檚 status as a geographical sidenote in this interstate rivalry ticks off those on the western side of the Hudson 鈥� especially those famously brash, smash-mouth Jersey politicians.

Take Sunday鈥檚 introductory press conference, when Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to his years with the Jets in the early 1990s, including one season as head coach of the team that went 6-10 in 1994 season (and every season, it seems to its weary fans).

鈥淚鈥檝e always loved to play in New York,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o have a chance to be a head coach in New York is an extraordinary honor, because of the history and the following and that goes along with that.鈥�

Minutes later, however, a retired Jersey City cop, in a distinctive 鈥渞鈥�-less Jersey voice, piped up from the back: "Coach, I just want to say something. I'm Rich Boggiano with the city council. You said yowah glad to be back in New Yawk. I just want to remind you, yowah in New Jersey. Awlright?"

鈥淵ou鈥檙e right, my bad,鈥� Coach Carroll sheepishly replied. 鈥淚鈥檓 talking to all the people on the West Coast who don鈥檛 care about that. But you鈥檙e right.鈥�

Yeah, they don鈥檛 care about that. A mea culpa that became an injury to an insult to an injury. It鈥檚 as though, when it comes to football, everything west of Boston and north of Philly is all about New York. And while its football teams kept their names and identities after moving across the Hudson, when the New Jersey Nets 鈥� who played for years at the Meadowlands 鈥� moved to Brooklyn, well, that identity was quickly dropped.

鈥淚 passed miffed a while ago. I mean this is ridiculous,鈥� said Sen. Cory Booker (D) of New Jersey said Monday on 鈥淕ood Day New York.鈥� 鈥淚 watched the Pro Bowl last night, and so frustrating, every time they talk about the Super Bowl, 鈥榃e鈥檒l see you in New York.鈥� Well, they鈥檙e not playing in New York, they鈥檙e playing in New Jersey.鈥�

The state鈥檚 senior senator, Robert Menendez (D), too, was miffed about the design on Super Bowl tickets and the official program cover, in which a shimmering Lombardi Trophy, awarded each year to the Super Bowl champion, sits on a high-rise ledge at Rockefeller Center, overlooking Manhattan's gloaming southern exposure.

"For all of those who are geographically challenged, welcome to New Jersey, welcome to the home of Super Bowl XLVIII," quipped Senator Menendez at a press conference last week. Only 鈥渁 tiny sliver of Jersey City鈥� is in view, he complained. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e kidding, right?鈥�

But in the past, such complaints 鈥� and anger 鈥� have come from the New York side, as well. When the Giants won Super Bowl XXI after the 1986 season, Mayor Ed Koch refused to grant them a permit to hold a ticker-tape parade down the famous 鈥淐anyon of Heroes,鈥� saying, 鈥淚f they want a parade, let them parade in front of the old drums in Moonachie,鈥� a reference to a desolate area adjacent to East Rutherford.

The Giants were wooed by New Jersey officials in the early 1970s, and the team moved to the Meadowlands in 1976 鈥� with the stipulation that New York remains in the team name. The Jets followed their NFC counterparts in 1984, also keeping their New York identity.

At the time, New York pols were outraged. a resolution that called on the Jets, who had been playing at Shea Stadium, which is in the borough of Queens, to change their name, severing ties with their New York identity. The resolution even proposed the Jets change their name to the 鈥淣ew Jersey Flowers.鈥� The Koch administration, too, said it would consider forcing the Jets to change their name.

Yet, since then, New Yorkers have mostly become indifferent about their home teams鈥� actual Jersey address, and the Giants (and presumably the Jets, some day) were tickered and taped in the Canyon of Heroes in southern Manhattan after their two subsequent Super Bowl championships.

The mayor of East Rutherford, however, a season-ticket holder for regular-season New York Giants games, doesn鈥檛 even have a ticket for the big show that will be played out in his own marshy back yard this Sunday.

鈥淚 understand the game would not be here if not for New York," said Mayor James Cassella . "I get it. I enjoy New York, too. I go there a lot. And in East Rutherford I expect to get disrespected, but the state of New Jersey is being left out of the mix.鈥�