David Solomon’s stern demeanor makes sense knowing he’s a New York Jets fan, one of millions enduring the NFL franchise’s 15-year struggle. Since 2023, I’ve followed the Jets at the urging of FT colleague Antoine Gara, and found fandom a curse only lifted by passing it on. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010—the longest active drought across all five major US sports leagues.

Fans blame owner Woody Johnson, heir to Johnson & Johnson and former Trump UK ambassador, whose leadership NFL legend Bill Belichick once called “ready, fire, aim.” The Jets lack a reliable QB and will start the season with a player who last played for them a decade ago and fought a teammate. Even wins could hurt draft positioning. The 2012 “butt fumble”—where a QB collided with a teammate’s backside, lost the ball, and allowed a Belichick-coached touchdown—remains iconic.

Bookmakers give the Jets the third-worst Super Bowl odds among 32 teams. Fans like Mike Jhagroo, 49, and Matt Russo, 44, tailgate at Met Life Stadium, finding joy in shared misery despite rising costs. Russo says the team is “playing chicken” with fans over ticket prices, some paying over $10,000 for personal seat licences.

Yet hope persists: winning remains too enticing to quit, even as losses mount.