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29 April 2024High fly-dentity
New York Jets unveil retro aviation-themed logo.
Words: Dan Hayes
T he New York Jets NFL team has incorporated the image of an aeroplane into its branding for the first time in more than 25 years.
The return of a jet to the logo is a reminder that the team changed its name from the Titans of New York to the Jets in 1963 because its stadium was close to the city’s LaGuardia airport.
The latest design is an updated version of a logo that featured between the 1970s and 1990s and covered an era when the Jets’ much-respected defensive line was termed the “New York Sack Exchange”.
Chris Pierce, who rejoices in the job title of Jets’ vice-president of fan commerce, said: “It feels like we are taking an asset from this great movie on this amazing stage – there was a buzz about the ’70s and ’80s in New York City – and bringing it back to life.
“It’s italicised, the plane is moving. So you get this notion of a forward-thinking logo as much as it’s something from our history,” he added. “The tail of the aircraft and the nose, they’re more pointed. And we feel like this gives the element of more speed, versus the more rounded tail, the more rounded nose of the plane.”
Pierce said the team’s supporters had been key to the logo change.
“It became evident that there was a desire among our fans to bring back a logo that they really identified with. I think, in many ways, it’s even more important to the more casual fan, or the fan that doesn’t know they’re a Jets fan yet and hasn’t picked an NFL allegiance yet. I think that’s really somewhat critical.”
The Jets have also redesigned their team uniform – maintaining their traditional green and white options, with new elements that hark back to the glory days of the Sack Exchange.
The 2024-25 season for the New York Jets kicks off at the beginning of September and culminates with the game’s showpiece event – Super Bowl LIX – hosted at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on 9 February 2025.
