Giants fans plan plane banners over MetLife as Dart debut looms
As the team opens 0-3, two banners are planned for Sunday before Giants-Chargers, with ownership under renewed pressure and Jaxson Dart making his NFL debut.
New Jersey — The Giants’ rough start to the season has revived a familiar form of fan protest: banners towed by planes over MetLife Stadium. After opening with three straight losses, some fans have made it clear they’re not satisfied with the club’s direction even as Jaxson Dart is set to make his NFL starting debut this Sunday in the Giants-Chargers game. Two planes are expected to fly over MetLife Stadium’s airspace before kickoff, bearing messages aimed at owner John Mara and the team’s leadership, a scene that has become a recurring backdrop for social media and local coverage when the club struggles.
George Dunner, sales manager at High Exposure Aerial Advertising, said his firm will have at least two banners for Sunday morning. One plane has already been booked that will direct anger at Mara, and another company, AirSign North, has booked a plane with a similar intention. The plans are subject to flight regulations: Teterboro Airport rules cap the number of planes in the MetLife airspace at two at any given time. The cost for renting a banner plane for about 20 to 30 minutes runs around $2,000.
During last season’s 3-14 disaster, planes flew over MetLife Stadium in consecutive weeks with messages that challenged Mara’s leadership. This week’s banners appear to continue that pattern, with Dunner noting that the messages are not designed to call for a sale of the team, but to prod the owner to take action. “Most of what I’m getting requests for are asking Mr. Mara to do something with this team,” Dunner said. “As a company I won’t fly anything that is overly negative. If it said ‘Fire Daboll’ we’re not flying it. Sell the team, I can tell you for sure we don’t have one saying that but we would fly that.” He added that the Sunday banner will be directed at Mara, but not aimed at forcing a sale, at least in the messaging he’s received.
Dunner stressed that his company has flown banners with positive messages over other teams and schools—things he says have been relatively rare over MetLife Stadium in his 14 years in the business. Yet the churn of a 0-3 start appears to drive demand for negative messaging more than positive, a dynamic he compares to how controversy fuels sports talk radio: anger seems to prompt more spending than goodwill.
The plan for Sunday comes with a reminder of the practical limits in place. Only two planes can operate within MetLife airspace at one time, under current flight rules from Teterboro Airport. A third plane could be booked, but scheduling would depend on air traffic and regulatory approvals. The messaging in these rounds centers on Mara’s leadership rather than a direct call to fire the coach, according to Dunner, who noted that the content of banners can shift week to week depending on fan sentiment and the team’s trajectory.
As fans look toward the Chargers game, the backdrop remains the memory of last season’s collapse and the ongoing questions about the franchise’s direction. The debut of Dart adds a potential pivot point for the club, but the banner campaign underscores a broader truth in sports fandom: when a team struggles, fans may turn to unconventional avenues to voice their hopes, frustrations and demands for accountability.
The dynamic also highlights how business intersects with sport. High Exposure Aerial Advertising has previously flown banners for teams and institutions beyond the Giants, including the Eagles, Ravens, Notre Dame, Penn State and Rutgers, though Dunner said he has rarely, if ever, flown a positive message about MetLife in his time working the MetLife airspace. The economics are straightforward: banners cost roughly $2,000 for a 20- to 30-minute flight, a relatively modest expense for fans seeking to send a message and for companies looking to capitalize on the moment when teams are under pressure.
Overall, the banner plan for Sunday is a reminder of how, in professional sports, ownership and leadership can become a target for public scrutiny that extends beyond stadium seating and televised commentary. The Giants-Sunday matchup against the Chargers will offer a performance on the field that could shift the mood in the stands, but for at least some fans, the skies above MetLife will also be a platform for signaling their expectations and pressing for change. The ongoing conversation around Mara’s stewardship and the team’s direction is unlikely to quiet down after a single game, regardless of whether Dart proves to be the spark some expect or if the franchise faces another long stretch of adversity.