I'm from New Jersey, and my state is usually looked as an extra suburb of New York or East Philadelphia. When not being mocked for those, New Jersey is often derided for spawning guidos and toxic waste which is not true. Guidos usually come from Staten Island and Connecticut and New Jersey stores landfill, not create it. Without us, many Union colonies would have starved through the rough times as we were the first state to create widespread use of electricity and were mass producers of bread and grains --- so everyone should be thankful to us that July 4th is Independence Day and not Tea and Crumpet Day.
Unfortunately, my state has had trouble with professional sports teams. For one, half the teams that play in the state don't even have "New Jersey" in their name. Depending on where you live, you don't even get regional sports coverage of the teams in the state. I have been a diehard for all the teams with "NJ" or "New Jersey" on their chest, which is now down to one. Football was my first love when I was still in high school a decade ago, but even as I moved around in my youth, I felt an emptiness being unable to claim a local football team of my own from my birth state --- whether professional or collegiate. Every Madden and NCAA and NFL2K I played, I always had to create a franchise in New Jersey to fill that void.
My new team would be in New Jersey to help ease that pain of those locals who dont want to feel pressured into cheering for other dirty teams just because they are the next closest alternative or for those who look for random instances of chance and connection to eschew themselves into a random fanbase. We would be called the Swamp Dragons because, no lie, in the late 90's when the New Jersey Nets were in the process of changing ownership, the team underwent a re-brand that included a more than possible change to the Swamp Dragon nickname that was "reconsidered" at the last second. For those that do not get the reference, the Nets, Giants, Jets, and Devils all used to play deep in East Rutherford, right outside the fairgrounds at the Meadowlands, but the entire area was surrounded by mosses and swamps, hence the "Swamp" nickname. Who doesn't want to play for a cool mascot like the Swamp Dragons? Just imagine the Phoenix Coyote "Peyote" logo in a vintage Toronto Raptors or Vancouver Grizzlies design. We'd be the hottest team, with the best gear, rowdiest fans, and electric and eccentric playstyle and characters to back it up.
Unfortunately, my state has had trouble with professional sports teams. For one, half the teams that play in the state don't even have "New Jersey" in their name. Depending on where you live, you don't even get regional sports coverage of the teams in the state. I have been a diehard for all the teams with "NJ" or "New Jersey" on their chest, which is now down to one. Football was my first love when I was still in high school a decade ago, but even as I moved around in my youth, I felt an emptiness being unable to claim a local football team of my own from my birth state --- whether professional or collegiate. Every Madden and NCAA and NFL2K I played, I always had to create a franchise in New Jersey to fill that void.
My new team would be in New Jersey to help ease that pain of those locals who dont want to feel pressured into cheering for other dirty teams just because they are the next closest alternative or for those who look for random instances of chance and connection to eschew themselves into a random fanbase. We would be called the Swamp Dragons because, no lie, in the late 90's when the New Jersey Nets were in the process of changing ownership, the team underwent a re-brand that included a more than possible change to the Swamp Dragon nickname that was "reconsidered" at the last second. For those that do not get the reference, the Nets, Giants, Jets, and Devils all used to play deep in East Rutherford, right outside the fairgrounds at the Meadowlands, but the entire area was surrounded by mosses and swamps, hence the "Swamp" nickname. Who doesn't want to play for a cool mascot like the Swamp Dragons? Just imagine the Phoenix Coyote "Peyote" logo in a vintage Toronto Raptors or Vancouver Grizzlies design. We'd be the hottest team, with the best gear, rowdiest fans, and electric and eccentric playstyle and characters to back it up.
