ESPN: The Great Debate of 'America's Team' (Pats Included)

[Disco Volante]

It's The Patriotic Thing To Do
By Tim Graham

Not everybody stands up to salute "America's Team."

All of those franchises that have qualified to represent a nation -- New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish -- also are among the most hated.

To a good portion of the populace, America's Team wears a black hat. Let us consider the hoodie.

The New England Patriots, with three Super Bowl victories and four AFC titles, have been dominant for the past nine years. Tom Brady is the embodiment of the All-American quarterback, a dashing leader who flings touchdowns and makes the ladies swoon.

[Continued...]

Of course there's really no "America's Team" but just something to read if interested.

 

[BadMoFo]

It's that time of the year. They need something just before training camps to make them feel relevant. At least it's better than those past questions that they have asked and dragged on for weeks.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Man, espn absolutely churns out the gimmicks.

 

[aurakilla]

just my 2 cents but........

the patriots are named the PATRIOTS...........and their colors are red while and blue............, and their symbol is a minute man (well u get the idea lol ), and they have minute men at the games so why isnt it the patriots?

 

[LeonPowe]

It's a silly title anyways. I'm surprised that the comments page only had one reference to spygate (but I'm sure if I go through the other 1000 pages I'll find more moronic "Cheatriots" comments).

Do Steelers fans ever work? I think they sit around online looking for every article that doesn't proclaim the Steelers as the superest bestest franchise ever. And yet at the same time their goofball fans want the team to not get the attention and "fly under the radar".:rolleyes2:

 

[Ryan]

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm sort of glad the Patriots haven't turned into what the Cowboys were in the 90's. Everyone and their mother suddenly acted like they were a Cowboys fan and it was annoying as all hell. You don't see nearly as much of that with the Patriots. I could really care less if they're America's Team. I'm just glad they're my team.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

As the article points out, "America's Team" was a marketing gimmick that stuck; as far as I can see, it stuck in a lot of towns that don't have NFL franchises. But, just ask a fan in Pittsburgh or New England or Philly or New York or DC whether the Cowboys are "America's Team" and then step back to avoid the punch.

I don't want my team to be "America's Team." I want my team to win and winners are despised by those who support losers.

I want my team to be respected but not liked. I actually enjoy the fact that the Pats are, to put it mildly, "disliked" elsewhere in the country. It makes winning all the sweeter and, when we do lose, we always know that we will be back next year, unlike the one season wonders who beat us from time to time (yes, I'm thinking of YOU, Miami!).

Thinking only of the past decade, I don't like the Steelers, but I sure respect them. Ditto for the Colts and Eagles, who have contended consistently over this decade against the Pats or in the NFC. I don't want Steelers or Eagles or Colts fans to like us, I want them to respect us and lose to us when we play them. I'll put the Coughlin/Manning Giants in that category if they get to another SB, but for now they don't belong in it; they outplayed us in one (big!) game and, even then, needed a miracle play to beat us.

 

[JaxPats]

Of course there's really no "America's Team" but just something to read if interested.

I beg to disagree. Our military is America's Team. On the football side, of course its the PATRIOTS!

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I beg to disagree. Our military is America's Team. On the football side, of course its the PATRIOTS!

I'm waiting for the official announcement that our Pats are now Germany's team.

 

[jmt57]

I only read the top half of the most recent page of comments (I know, not a smart move), but there were a couple of interesting viewpoints:

If there is any such thing as "America's Team" I would say it would have to be a successful franchise that doesn't bare the hate of the rest of the nation.

To that end, is there really any other team that qualifies but the Indianapolis Colts?

While that may be true, just wait and see what happens should the day come when you are in the Super Bowl two years in a row or three in four. NFL fans loved the Pats in 2001, yet just two years later - even before SB 38 - it was not unusual to hear people say "I'm so sick of the Pats winning, I just want to see somebody else win."

Everybody loves it when an underdog wins, whether it's Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson, the Pats beating the Rams in SB 36, or the Giants beating the Pats. But when a team starts to consistently win and go deep in the playoffs a couple things happen. The transformation of the image from loveable underdog to big bully is incredibly swift. A comment that was perceived to be a sign of confidence a year or two ago is now seen as being arrogant. Win more than once and there's a very good chance you become seen as every opponent of Rocky rolled into one.

Then some will jump on the team's bandwagon because they feel better about themselves by being associated with a winner. A few will climb on board because they may like the image being portrayed by the media of the current king of the hill. For example, some gravitated to the Raiders in the past for their outlaw image; others to the glitz and glamour of the NBA's Lakers or the Cowboys of the 80's; and others to the blue collar tough guy of the Steelers. Fans of other teams see those that have jumped on the bandwagon, and they look down at them, resulting in more hatred for that team and their fan base. There becomes this strange 'we're better fans than you are' debate and off the wall accusations are made based on image and assumptions. Opinions get repeated enough they are presumed to be fact and teams are loved or hated with seemingly no middle ground. At that point you are the current version of "America's Team" - either beloved or detested, painted in black and white with no shades of grey permitted.




Then there was also this gem. As long as you don't read any politics in to the statement it is fairly amusing.

If we think about this properly, America's team right now OBVIOUSLY should be the Detroit Lions. They are performing the same as our economy!!!

 

[363839]

I'm waiting for the official announcement that our Pats are now Germany's team.

With all the Brits we get here, I'd say the Pats are Great Britain's team.
It must be that new ENGLAND thing.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

With all the Brits we get here, I'd say the Pats are Great Britain's team.
It must be that new ENGLAND thing.

P'haps, though gomezcat seems interested only because his rampant imperialism has him daydreaming of re-conquering the old colonies and using cricket to pacify the enslaved masses.

 

[BionicPatriot]

IMO, I think it should be judge like America's team of the decade. Each decade theres that one team that stands above it all and every little move of theirs is recorded. I don't believe in a solid America's team.

 

[Dino 6 Rings]

It's a silly title anyways. I'm surprised that the comments page only had one reference to spygate (but I'm sure if I go through the other 1000 pages I'll find more moronic "Cheatriots" comments).

Do Steelers fans ever work? I think they sit around online looking for every article that doesn't proclaim the Steelers as the superest bestest franchise ever. And yet at the same time their goofball fans want the team to not get the attention and "fly under the radar".:rolleyes2:

yes we do in fact work.

I like the Polls after the "america's team" poll. Seeing the Color Map of what states hate what teams is great. Ohio hates Pittsburgh, that's hilarious. PA and Mass hate each other, Kansas hates Oakland, that's great.

That stuff is better than the "America's team" Thing. It is well documented that NFL Films first approached Mr. Rooney to call the Steelers America's team but he turned them down and said, "We are Pittsburgh's Team" and so they turned to the Cowboys who at the time appeared to have a lot of fans at away games. At least that was the "Sell". The name stuck, and whatever, it is what it is.

I just like the "States" that hate other states stuff in there, that's pretty funny to really look at.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Is Graham the same guy who said that the Bills have better WRs than the Pats? If so, what a useless writer...

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Pats vs. Bucs game is estimated to have 70,000+ fans in attendance in London - I bet we become their favorites fast unless the team has a brain fart out there and loses

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

yes we do in fact work.

I like the Polls after the "america's team" poll. Seeing the Color Map of what states hate what teams is great. Ohio hates Pittsburgh, that's hilarious. PA and Mass hate each other, Kansas hates Oakland, that's great.

That stuff is better than the "America's team" Thing. It is well documented that NFL Films first approached Mr. Rooney to call the Steelers America's team but he turned them down and said, "We are Pittsburgh's Team" and so they turned to the Cowboys who at the time appeared to have a lot of fans at away games. At least that was the "Sell". The name stuck, and whatever, it is what it is.

I just like the "States" that hate other states stuff in there, that's pretty funny to really look at.

I can confidently say that for decades and even when they sucked,the Steelers have and had a larger fan base than ANY team in the NFL - Period...

 

[Dino 6 Rings]

Heres a link to the maps I mentioned:

SportsNation Polls - SportsNation - ESPN

These are great. Texas Arkansas and Oklahoma all put Dallas as Americas Team, Wisconsin, Packers, PA and WV put Steelers, And Maine, NH, VT, Mass all put the Pats, everyone else in the country, vote NO ONE! So funny.


Rivalry is pretty solid too, most people in the Nation put Pats vs Colts (as did I) No idea why people from Colorado and Alaska put Ravens vs Steelers. Very Odd.

Pats and Cowboys running neck and neck over who is hated the most.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Heres a link to the maps I mentioned:

SportsNation Polls - SportsNation - ESPN

These are great. Texas Arkansas and Oklahoma all put Dallas as Americas Team, Wisconsin, Packers, PA and WV put Steelers, And Maine, NH, VT, Mass all put the Pats, everyone else in the country, vote NO ONE! So funny.


Rivalry is pretty solid too, most people in the Nation put Pats vs Colts (as did I) No idea why people from Colorado and Alaska put Ravens vs Steelers. Very Odd.

Pats and Cowboys running neck and neck over who is hated the most.

Hahaha, that's awesome. And the map of most hated is fun, too. Wonder why Texas hates us so much.

 

[Jackson 2]

Hahaha, that's awesome. And the map of most hated is fun, too. Wonder why Texas hates us so much.

Colorado's total population is is 9 and Alaska's is 4.5.