My name is Jordan Frey and I am a fan of the New York Jets. As I write this, the Jets are 0-7. They have lost in just about every imaginable way. They have not made the playoffs in over a decade and, barring a miracle, will not this year. Their quarterback situation is dismal with no young, promising QB on the horizon. Despite likely having the first pick overall in next year's draft, there is no consensus top college QB as a silver lining. And yet, I remain as steadfast as ever as a fan. I am even grateful. Because these Jets have taught me some good life lessons.

Let's examine…

A note on sports fandom

Let's take a broad look at the landscape of most modern major sports, certainly including the NFL:

• Grown individuals paid absurd amounts of money to play a child's game
• Players change teams on a nearly annual basis
• There is very little team loyalty from a player's perspective where money matters most (I'm not even saying this is wrong)
• Most team owners make tons of money whether their team is successful or stinks

So why am I and millions of others so loyal to certain teams? Jerry Seinfeld jokes that we are basically rooting for uniforms at this point. And I think he's right.

In short, I have no idea why me or anyone else is so loyal to a team or why their success or failure affects us so viscerally. It makes no rational sense. And I've tried to rationalize it.

All I know is that I enjoy caring about it to a healthy degree. And that's good enough for me. So, on we go…

5 life lessons learned from being a Jets fan

1. Life isn't fair

Life doesn't care about your preferences. If it did, the Jets would have had some modicum of success in my life. Instead, I can think of maybe 5 years where the Jets were really good in my 38 years of life. That's brutal.

2. Life isn't random either

In the NFL, 14 of the 32 teams (almost 50%!) make the playoffs each year. By sheer random chance, the Jets should have made the playoffs in 6 of the last 14 years. Instead, they made it 0 times! That means they have actively been implementing strategies at a management and player level to encourage losing!

While this all seems doom and gloom. It does remind me that our actions are ultimately what matter. There will be things that we cannot control, because life just doesn't care about our plans or preferences. But there are still things we can control. And optimizing those things will make a major difference in our success (or failure if you are the Jets).

3. Loss aversion is real

In my life, the Jets have lost games at a rate 1.5x greater than they've won.

Despite that overall ineptitude, they have put together some good years. 3 times in my life, they have gone to the AFC Championship game, 1 win away from the Super Bowl. Each time they have lost.

Even in recent years, they have come close to making the playoffs, ultimately losing critical games that would have made the difference.

Let me tell you…I feel the pain or the losses way more than the joy of the wins…

4. Quick fixes fix nothing

In the NFL and in life, there are two broad strategies you can implement to build something great.

You can start from the foundation, even tearing down previous inefficiencies or failures if necessary. You then build up brick by brick, slowly, until you reach the pinnacle.

Or, you leave your faulty foundation in place and try to build or paint over it with quick fixes that externally might look strong but are really one string gust from falling apart.

The Jets of the NFL kings at going for the quick fix. Usually in the form of signing veteran players who are past their prime as stop gaps to try and “win now.” Often times this player is a quarterback. They tried this with Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and other non-QBs.

And guess what? It never works. Turns out, just like in life, you need to build from the ground up for success in the NFL.

5. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth…but you still need to keep your plan

I love the Jets new head coach, Aaron Glenn. He was drafted and played for the Jets before becoming a scout and going into coaching. He has been part of taking a historically downtrodden organization, the Detroit Lions, and building them into a consistent winner. And he legitimately loves the Jets.

But he is struggling. He came into the year with a great plan: strong defense, a focus on running the ball, offensive efficiency, minimizing penalties, maximizing turnovers.

But it hasn't worked out that way.

The defense took a step back from last year. Their running game is stunted as teams don't fear their passing attack. Early in the season, penalties plagued them and lost them games. They have had only 1 turnover all season so far, a historical worst.

Needless to say, he has been punched in the mouth. However, he remains steadfast in his plan and his belief. Which I think is so important. Too many times I have seen coaches, players, and people in my life stray from a good plan just because it doesn't work out right away. But good things rarely do. It takes time, consistency and repetition to have success. Because life doesn't care (see #1). Giving up too soon leads to quick fixes and we know those don't work (see #4).

Stay steadfast in your plan and your beliefs.

Will it be worth it?

Since I've been about 10 years old, I have watched every single Jets game. Even when they are getting blown out in the 4th quarter. I watch every painful moment.

Why?

Well, I do enjoy just watching football. I also like to watch individual players and see growth. Which hopefully leads to growth within the team.

But I also firmly believe that there is no joy without pain. And when the Jets do become competent, maybe even good, one day…this pain will make the joy even greater.

At least that's what I tell myself. And if it never happens, well, at least the Jets taught me these life lessons!

And if you are like me and wonder who has it better, doctors or professional athletes, check out this post: Comparing the Financial Lives of Doctors & Professional Athletes. The answer might surprise you…

What do you think? Will the Jets ever stop breaking my heart? Are these life lessons I learned through the Jets meaningful to you? How do sports intersect in your life? Let me know in the comments below!