Jurisdictional battles over the [location goes here] Giants

I was one of the people who showed my support for SOPA/PIPA by watching NBC/Comcast's coverage of NFL's Super Bowl, in which the Giants defeated the Patriots. And it's no surprise that politicians are supporting the Giants' win.

Let's start with a press release from the Governor of New York:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a New York Giants Super Bowl XLVI victory license plate to honor the championship team....

"I join all New York Giant fans in congratulating the team and staff, especially native-New Yorker coach Tom Coughlin, on this great Super Bowl victory," Governor Cuomo said. "We are all very proud of the dedication, hard work and grace under pressure that enabled the Giants to bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to New York."

"This has been an amazing run for the Giants," Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner Barbara J. Fiala said. "Giants fans have always worn their hearts on their sleeve. So we are very pleased to offer this commemorative Super Bowl XLVI Champions custom license plate so that they can show their 'Big Blue' loyalty and championship pride on their vehicles."

Oddly enough, this press release didn't include a quote from the football team itself. But if you go to the team's own website, you can find this press release about the festivities scheduled for Tuesday, February 7:

The festivities will begin with a traditional a ticker-tape parade hosted by New York City in lower Manhattan. The parade will begin at Battery Place and Washington Street at 11 a.m. and continue northbound up the Canyon of Heroes to Worth Street. The parade will be followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, at which the Mayor will present the Giants with Keys to the City.

The Mayor? Where's the Governor? Well, we'll see the Governor later. But the Mayor gets his own quote.

“Big Blue gave us a game to remember, and on Tuesday we're going to give them a parade to remember,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said.

So there's a little competition going on between the Governor of New York and the Mayor of New York, which raises the question of what the "New York" in New York Giants actually means. But let's go back to the press release:

Following the ceremony, the Giants will board busses and return

Uh, let's hold it right there. The Giants are in New York City, in New York State. Why would they have to "return" anywhere?

OK, proceed.

to New Jersey

Yup, to New Jersey, the home of the "New York" Giants. You see, Rita Moreno of Arte isn't the only person whose team claims one city while playing in another. And in the case of the "New York" Giants, that means that there are two celebrations - one in New York, and one in New Jersey.

OK, proceed.

where Giants players, coaches and owners and Gov. Chris Christie will celebrate the title in the team’s home, MetLife Stadium.

See, I told you the Governor would turn up. But I didn't say that the Governor of NEW YORK would turn up. Christie's the Governor of New Jersey, the home of the New York Giants. And in January, he said that the parade for the Giants should be in New Jersey. But all he got was a rally.

But if people were basing things on geography, the only NFL team that Governor Andrew Cuomo should be supporting would be the Buffalo Bills - at least until the "New York" Jets leave New Jersey and return to New York.

But you can't fight success, and people will latch on to any successful thing based upon the most tangential relationship. Did I ever tell you about my visits to New York City?