As Giants co-owner John Mara battles cancer, a supportive airplane banner flew over MetLife Stadium’s parking lots before Sunday’s game against the 49ers.
The banner read: “MR. MARA GET WELL SOON & WATCH GIANTS NATION SHOW.”
That show is a popular fan-run Giants podcast.
Mara revealed in late September that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer. He continues to run the Giants’ day-to-day operations while receiving treatment.
The “get well soon” banner is a different endeavor from another pre-49ers game banner that was funded by a group of frustrated fans. That banner will urge Mara to “clean house” and fire coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. It was commissioned by Joshua Reynolds, a 16-year-old from Bergen County.
As for the “get well soon” banner, it was the work of Bobby Skinner, who runs and hosts the Giants Nation Show podcast.
“We did a 24-hour live stream in July, raising money for this,” Skinner told NJ Advance Media.
To boost donations, Skinner had listeners suggest locations where he should host a live show. (It will be in Binghamton, N.Y., next summer.)
Skinner is a longtime passionate Giants fan. He believes Daboll and Schoen need to go. But he has never hired a plane banner before.
(Two protest banners flew over back-to-back Giants home games in December last season — the first time the Giants have faced a plane protest banner since 1978. Reynolds’ banner is set to be the Giants’ first such banner this year.)
Skinner (and his listeners) acquired the “get well soon” banner through Fly Sky Ads, which is based in Manalapan. He forwarded a confirmation email to NJ Advance Media, verifying the transaction. Reynolds’ banner was hired through the Woodbine-based High Exposure Aerial Advertising.
Even back in July, Skinner wanted to do a positive banner this season, though he does not support the continued employment of Daboll and Schoen.
“The joke was it was going to be a positive plane,” Skinner said. “Once the Mara news came out, it was obvious what we wanted to do. I’m in favor of firing Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll. I wish they were fired last year. But it was supposed to be something fun and lighthearted.”
Skinner decided on this particular message “basically as soon as the Mara news came out.”
As for his aim with this banner, Skinner said, “It’s giving Mara a well wish. It’s nothing really more than what it is. Then obviously, it’s promotion for our show as well, too.”
Skinner said Reynolds’ banner — whose message has been known since just before Mara revealed his diagnosis — had no impact on the “get well soon” banner.
“We planned that we were going to do some type of plane that wasn’t negative in July,” Skinner said. “I didn’t know what the message would be. There were other ones that we were planning to do.”
What does Skinner think about the “clean house” banner?
“I think they should’ve done it last year, in reality,” Skinner said of Mara cleaning house. “If there’s one message [now], it’s: Don’t let Jaxson Dart make up for every other thing that they’ve done wrong.”
Skinner made it clear he agrees with the “clean house” banner.
“I’ve agreed with it before this season started,” he said.
Still, he added, regarding Giants protest banners, “I think it’s kind of played out. I said on our show that if there’s a plane every week, there’s a plane no week. But I also am not going to be mad at anybody — because they stink.”
He was referring, of course, to the Giants.
They are 2-6 and have lost two straight games entering Sunday. They went 3-14 last year and 6-11 in 2023. The Daboll/Schoen regime is 3-17 in its past 20 games, putting this duo firmly on the hot seat midway through Year 4.
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