Do you like the sound of 'The Boston Patriots'?

[zoostation]

Obviously most of the success was achieved as the New England Patriots, but how would you feel if the team changed back to the original name?

For a few games, Patriots’ given name will be given back - The Boston Globe

 

[Pats Fanatic]

I don't, I love the name "new England" it's unique, it represents all six states and the one I grew to love. It's as simple as that to me.

 

[moonpie]

I think New England has a better ring to it, but I do like how the Pats, and other AFL teams, are going retro this season.

 

[dalero]

As a Rhode Islander I much prefer NE. It makes them feel more my team.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

I love Boston, but Boston isn't deserving of the Pats. We can all thank Finneran for that... that prick should have gone to jail. After what MA did to the Pats when trying to build a new stadium, we're lucky Kraft even stayed in the state.

 

[shmessy]

I did (for 4 games only)........until Shaughnessy wrote about it and convinced me otherwise.

 

[TrueBeliever]

I had been thinking of starting a thread about this myself with a poll for some time now, but never got around to it.

On the one hand, part of the reason I picked the Patriots as my "other favorite team" years ago was because I liked that their name represented a whole region rather than just a city. (Or in some cases, a state. Not sure what the Carolina Panthers represent, but I digress...)

On the other hand, I have to admit it's kinda jarring when you have the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, and Boston Bruins but the New England Patriots. Almost like they're the ones that don't really count or fit in or something.

But when you look at it, the name makes sense. During the 11 years they were called the Boston Patriots, the team was nomadic, playing in five different stadiums (six if you count the "home game" played in Alabama, fer cryin' out loud). Being from a small town, I've never been able to understand how you can have these big cities that never have room for a stadium. I mean take the Giants and Jets, who represent the largest city in the country (and the world, if I'm not mistaken) but they don't play in that city or even that state. A city that huge and there's nowhere to put a new stadium??? Same with Boston, not near as big as NYC but still, you think they could find someplace for a ballpark.

And then there's the fact that when Sullivan moved the club to Foxborough, he and his staff looked at the season ticket list and realized that half the people on it didn't live in the Boston area, and many of those were from other states. I don't know a lot about Boston, but it seems to me it just isn't a football town per se. If it was, why did so many other teams play there and move or fold? Why did Boston U abandon its football program? And why was it so important to identify the team with a city that didn't seem that interested anyhow?

Granted, a lot of teams pull fans from surrounding states. A number of Minnesota Vikings' ticket holders live in Iowa; and the Denver Broncos pull in fans from all over Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, etc. If the Broncos were established in the last 20 years or so, they probably would've been the "Colorado Broncos", like the Rockies and the Avalanche.

Finally, I have to wonder how much of the author's disdain for the "New England Patriots" name has to do with the team actually being really good now, while through most of the "Boston" years they were mediocre at best.

Oh, and one other thing - 10 or so years ago, when the Milwaukee Brewers were seeking public funding for their new park, one state pol here suggested that if they were getting money from outside of Milwaukee (it was mainly from the surrounding counties, not the whole state) they should change their name to the "Wisconsin Brewers" to reflect that. It never went anywhere, thank goodness. "Wisconsin Brewers" just doesn't sound right like "New England Patriots" does.

 

[fgssand]

I love Boston, but Boston isn't deserving of the Pats. We can all thank Finneran for that... that prick should have gone to jail. After what MA did to the Pats when trying to build a new stadium, we're lucky Kraft even stayed in the state.

I agree 100% - being an original Pats fan as you appear to also be, NO WAY does Boston deserve to have this team named after them. This is truly New England's team, Boston would not give them the time of day,from the aforementioned Finneran stunts, right up and including the final slight when they ****ed the Krafts around over the waterfront stadium.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS all the way......winners baby!!

 

[WelcometotheRazor]

If there was no Boston, there would be no Patriots. What - people in the rest of NE don't root for the C's, B's, and Sox just because they don't have NE in their name???

It really is the Boston Patriots - whether Boston is in the name or not....

 

[DSal]

Nobody in Boston embraced the team. Not only did the city politicians **** them around, but the fans didn't want much of anything to do with them either. It's interesting that a member of the media is leding a cry for the "Boston Patriots". The media, was certainly part and parcel to the Patriots not being embraced as well. Billy Sullivan made the right move by renaming them New England Patriots.


That said, I wouldn't mind seeing Pat Patriot back on the helmets permanently and, while we're at it, back to the red, white and blue colors.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

If there was no Boston, there would be no Patriots. What - people in the rest of NE don't root for the C's, B's, and Sox just because they don't have NE in their name???

It really is the Boston Patriots - whether Boston is in the name or not....

I disagree. Boston is not even in the top 20 most populated cities in the US, while MA, a geographically small state, is in the top 15. In fact, the population of Boston's surrounding suburban sprawl, dwarfs that of the city itself. Boston has the greatest universities in the world as well as some of the greatest hospitals and a million other things going for it but there a a helluva lot more Pats fans in MA, nevermind all of NE, than there is in Boston alone.

Top 50 Cities in the U.S. by Population and Rank — Infoplease.com
List of U.S. states and territories by population - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[zoostation]

I love Boston, but Boston isn't deserving of the Pats. We can all thank Finneran for that... that prick should have gone to jail. After what MA did to the Pats when trying to build a new stadium, we're lucky Kraft even stayed in the state.

Very good point.

 

[WelcometotheRazor]

I disagree. Boston is not even in the top 20 most populated cities in the US, while MA, a geographically small state, is in the top 15. In fact, the population of Boston's surrounding suburban sprawl, dwarfs that of the city itself. Boston has the greatest universities in the world as well as some of the greatest hospitals and a million other things going for it but there a a helluva lot more Pats fans in MA, nevermind all of NE, than there is in Boston alone.

Top 50 Cities in the U.S. by Population and Rank — Infoplease.com
List of U.S. states and territories by population - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's only because no city is limited by it's geographical borders more than Boston. In most places, Revere, Brookline, Everett, Chelsea, Saugus, and maybe even Quincy would all be a part of the city (and is thos places are not part of "suburban sprawl"). With those regions included, Boston would be top 10 in population - easily. Just look at that list - you think El Paso, or Indianapolis, is even close to the city that Boston is? It is like the #5 TV market in the country, and it's all centered around Boston.

 

[patfanken]

The issue of whether one likes the idea of the Boston Patriots should have NOTHING to do with the politics that was played out at the time. It has to do with how one feels ABOUT the city of Boston. I grew up there and taught school there and take a lot of pride in the city, its heritage, its people, its ambiance, its culture, schools, hospitals, etc.

When Kraft was working on the megaplex, I was hoping that when it was done, they'd return to being the Boston Patriots. That's just a personal preference. I doubt that the Pats would add or lose a fan because of a name change either way.

BTW- You are right to blame the polls for their role in the "nomad" years that forced the building of Schaffer Stadium. However Sullivan himself has to take some of the blame. He wasn't going to settle for anything but a fully financed PUBLIC stadium, and that wasn't going to happen in MA. If Bob Kraft had been the owner then, a compromise would have likely been worked out, and a stadium in Boston would have resulted.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

“New England’’ includes Connecticut, which is populated, in part, by thousands of Giants and Jets fans. This is the same reason the Red Sox could never be the New England Red Sox; too many Yankee fans west and south of Hartford.

As a Connecticut Patriots fan, I say Shaughnessy can get bent. After all, every single resident of Boston is a Patriots fan. . . . :banned:

 

[WelcometotheRazor]

The issue of whether one likes the idea of the Boston Patriots should have NOTHING to do with the politics that was played out at the time. It has to do with how one feels ABOUT the city of Boston. I grew up there and taught school there and take a lot of pride in the city, its heritage, its people, its ambiance, its culture, schools, hospitals, etc.

When Kraft was working on the megaplex, I was hoping that when it was done, they'd return to being the Boston Patriots. That's just a personal preference. I doubt that the Pats would add or lose a fan because of a name change either way.

BTW- You are right to blame the polls for their role in the "nomad" years that forced the building of Schaffer Stadium. However Sullivan himself has to take some of the blame. He wasn't going to settle for anything but a fully financed PUBLIC stadium, and that wasn't going to happen in MA. If Bob Kraft had been the owner then, a compromise would have likely been worked out, and a stadium in Boston would have resulted.

I shudder at the Megaplex word. The best thing that could have happened would have been for that stadium to be built where the modern art museum is in Fort Point, in my opinion.....

 

[WelcometotheRazor]

As a Connecticut Patriots fan, I say Shaughnessy can get bent. After all, every single resident of Boston is a Patriots fan. . . . :banned:

But, are you a Sox, Celtics, and Bruins fan? Does the fact that these teams have Boston in their name detract you from pulling for them?

 

[zoostation]

I disagree. Boston is not even in the top 20 most populated cities in the US, while MA, a geographically small state, is in the top 15. In fact, the population of Boston's surrounding suburban sprawl, dwarfs that of the city itself. Boston has the greatest universities in the world as well as some of the greatest hospitals and a million other things going for it but there a a helluva lot more Pats fans in MA, nevermind all of NE, than there is in Boston alone.

Top 50 Cities in the U.S. by Population and Rank — Infoplease.com
List of U.S. states and territories by population - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

True. As a whole Metro Boston is the largest single team population in the AFC. And the huge television mkt this region brings is the reason the league didn't want the Patriots to move to St Louis in the 90's.

Largest Metropolitan Areas in the U.S. - Most Populous Metros

 

[ctpatsfan77]

But, are you a Sox, Celtics, and Bruins fan? Does the fact that these teams have Boston in their name detract you from pulling for them?

Would Shaughnessy even be suggesting renaming them "Boston Patriots" ten years ago?

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I think the "New England" moniker actually is much more fitting to the theme of the name "Patriots", Lexington & Concord, the Green Mountain Boys, et al. Boston's greed drove the Patriots to Foxboro and they have thrived there for years. The "New England" name also gave Kraft the leverage to look at sites in CT and NH for his new stadium. So my anser is "NO" I don't like the Boston Patriots.

I was in love of the old idea to build a new stadium in North Quincy (grew up in Quincy), then they could have changed the name to the "Quincy Patriots" summoning images of John, Samuel and John Quincy Adams, some of the real Patriots, that would have been cool.
Could you image the Samuel Adams "Quincy Patirot Brew",, ahh I can just taste it now......