At Least One Team Will Claim New Jersey

Pro sports teams are all-too-happy to suck away resources from local taxpayers and government, even when times are tough. So it's somewhat understandable that some people are angry over the Nets removing the "NJ" from their road jerseys. This, of course, is just the latest insult to the people of Jersey from a franchise that perpetually says it's on its way to Brooklyn. At least one team in town seems to remember who breads their butter, and that would be the New Jersey Devils, who have this electronic billboard up on New Jersey's I-78.

The Star-Ledger editorial board weighed in on the matter, criticizing the notion that the Nets were "regionalizing" their brand and essentially disavowing any ties to New Jersey. Can you really blame them for trying?

Neither team fares will at the box office. The Nets have averaged 15,937 per game over the last five seasons. The Devils are checking in at 14,940 over the last four seasons (no NHL season in 2005). Both teams consistently find themselves in the bottom third of their respective leagues when it comes to attendance. Without having my feet on the ground in Jersey, I'm only left to look at those attendance numbers and believe there's no real winner of the hearts and minds.

Will anyone feel such Jersey pride that they'll eschew Nets games and only check out the Devils because of a little "NJ" stitched on a jersey? I can't imagine it'll sway thousands of fans either way. But because both teams seem to do so poorly with the locals, it was a no-brainer for the Devils to take a chance to grab some good PR, even if it was at the expense of the other local team.

(Thanks to reader Brian for the photo of the billboard.)

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.