Non-US Born Pats Fans!

[rockthecasbah]

I wasn't born here, but I grew up here and I've lived here most of my life. As a girl, I wasn't really interested in football. At all. It looked stupid and the fact that a game took 3-4 hours was a real turn off. Anyway, I started getting into football in the 01-02 season, when I was 12. Obviously, being in Athens, GA, I started with Georgia football. I learned the game watching the Dawgs, and I fell in love with it. The first NFL game I watched was the Snow Bowl, and I immediately fell in love with the Patriots and stuck with them every since.

 

[Tommysgirl]

Well i m glad you find these stories exciting...
you can still share your thoughts about your passion about the Pats.

Seriously, nothing exciting. I have two brothers, I'm the only girl. I watched sports and that was it. Fortunately for me, I love them. The boyfriend in high school played football and got me even more involved. I've just alwasy loved and rooted for them, I can't remember a specific moment when I knew they were my team, they just always were.

 

[PatsfanGlo]

I was born in Korea but moved to Saudi Arabia in 1988. As one can imagine, there really wasn't much to do there and they didn't really like foreigners much so I watched a lot of TV. They mostly played 70-80's sitcoms and NBA and NFL. That's when I first came to know football. Didn't make much sense to me back then since there was nobody telling me the rules of the game. When I started to attend high school near Pittsburgh area, I learned more about the game. Curtis Enis attended my school(yea, laugh all you want but he was great player and great guy to be around during his high school years) which really peaked my interest. I guess I learned more about football playing computer and console games. I didn't like Steelers much though. Couldn't stand the fans.

I moved to Boston in 96 and that's when I even found out there was a team called Patriots and been fan since. It was just painful to watch Carrol years but I do miss old players. For some reason, Chris Slade used to be one of my favorite player, along with Milloy. Of course....I buy their jerseys only to find out week after they've been traded....

 

[ClevTrev]

From a US born Pats fan, these are some great stories. Thanks for sharing.

 

[spook75]

I posted this a little while ago in a similair thread:
y wife.

I am born and raised in Europe. The Netherlands to be exact. When I was in the military, I was deployed on a international (NATO) base, working with allot of nationalities, including Americans. Football still seemed like an odd sport to me. Why was is FOOT ball is they didn't really use their feet? Why do they keep stopping? Why does an hours play take 3-4 hours. I just did not get it, nor was I interested.

Then I met my wife. She is from Massachusetts . And a big fan of the NE patriots. She got me to watch a few games ( still with Bledsoe) but I did not get it, but she was really into it all. I laughed at her rolling on the floor yelling at ref's and never sat out a game ( to loooong).. But the more I watched it the more I started to figure out what was going on. I ended up buying a madden football videogame to learn more ( hey what was I going to do ).

Anyways to cut the story short. I started watching more games in 2001 and then Bledsoe got hurt and Brady took over, we wondered if this was the end of the season for the pat's and followed the rest of the games we were able to see, closely. But then things turned out great and they won this little thing called the Superbowl. My wife and me watched that game in Europe, deep in the night live broadcasted on American forces network. It was like 4.00 in the morning and my wife was highly pregnant, we actually had an appointment with the doctor for delivery of my daughter that same morning. It was an awesome event, that got me more into the game.

BUT I have only gotten REALLY into the game these past 2/3 years. And I still have much to learn about the game, but I know what I am watching and now get laughed at by my wife for being more fanatic then her at times. LOL


She tried to make me let me choose my own team-which I took as that I had to pick a different team to cheer for, but that just didn't work.

My connection to football is through her, MA and the NE patriots. I love(d) their attitude and back when I started the way they played and how they dealt with their underdog status.. I felt part of the event of them winning their first SB, and was highly annoyed they never seemed to get true acknowledgement of their work, even after their first SB.(or second or third)

I believe I will stay a pats fan forever, no matter is they win anymore SB's or not.

anyways.. I could just have said.. see sig

EDIT: My favorite player = T.B.

EDIT 2: My younger brother spend a year in Michigan on an student exchange program and is a lions fan, because of it

 

[italian pat patriot]

great thread !

 

[true_patriot]

First of all I am an avid sports fan myself, and I followed sports closely all through my life - from Cricket in India to Soccer in UK to Rugby in Australia - I enjoyed watching and following a team. I came to US in 2000 for my grad school, and was instantly hooked to New England Patriot. I went through the same learning curve others mentioned in their posts - calling it "foot"ball; stopping for downs; 2 point conversion etc etc.

The most astounding fact to me is that there never is a game cancelled due to inclement weather (to this date Oak Snow game is the most thrilling weather game for me). No other sport can claim this distinction. Second, this game is more "heady" than people give credit for. In beginning I mostly watched for athletic feats, but these past 2 years I seem to understand the schemes and plays more intricately (Of course this website is one big reason for that). All in all, this board has become a second home of sorts, where I hang out most during Sundays'.

Whoever started this thread, great job!

 

[screamingPatsFan]

You guys and girls have been awesome! didn't think this was going to generate this many replies.

What's fascinating is that most of us knew nothing about the game, not only that, it even looked weird at first.

 

[screamingPatsFan]

First of all I am an avid sports fan myself, and I followed sports closely all through my life - from Cricket in India to Soccer in UK to Rugby in Australia - I enjoyed watching and following a team. I came to US in 2000 for my grad school, and was instantly hooked to New England Patriot. I went through the same learning curve others mentioned in their posts - calling it "foot"ball; stopping for downs; 2 point conversion etc etc.

The most astounding fact to me is that there never is a game cancelled due to inclement weather (to this date Oak Snow game is the most thrilling weather game for me). No other sport can claim this distinction. Second, this game is more "heady" than people give credit for. In beginning I mostly watched for athletic feats, but these past 2 years I seem to understand the schemes and plays more intricately (Of course this website is one big reason for that). All in all, this board has become a second home of sorts, where I hang out most during Sundays'.

Whoever started this thread, great job!

Great Job to you true_patriot for chipping in.
All i can say is 'wow'!
I should start another thread about the Red Sox
How fascinating the stories would be!

 

[kinky]

My story is like a lot of the others here ...

I came to the US (New England) in 1994. I was a big sports fan growing up and wanted to follow some sport here. Initially Tennis and Basketball were my favorites, until I caught couple of games on Sunday. Initially, I was drawn to the apparent violence and the gladiatorial aspect of the game. Then I hit the newsgroups (anybody remember what they are ?) and read a FAQ on rec.sports.football to learn the rules and nuances.


I am afraid I rooted for the Dallas Cowboys for the first year.

My interest in Pats actually started when they drafted a guy called Drew Bledsoe and got a coach called Bill Parcells. You know the rest of the story. Football is a religion with me now. I try to get copies of as many of the current generation Patriot's games as possible. I am in the season ticket waiting list and try to go to atleast 2 games each season. My passion of Patriots has caught on and my wife (who is also non-US born) and my US born kids are big Pats fans also.

 

[Scouse Patriot]

It was on a dark, rainy but yet fabulous Liverpool morning. I was at a friends enjoying the weekend having just returned from a pretty funky excercise in Slovakia with their Military, some of whom played the soldiers hunting Owen "The Nose" Wilson in the film Behind Enemy Lines.

Me buddy then asked me if I wanted to play Madden, I didn't have a clue which team to pick so I just went with the team with the nicest jersey, which turned out to be some team called the New England Patriots. I'd seen American football before but around that time I really started to like it and take notice. Anyways, that was my introduction to the pats, a nice blue jersey on Madden. long story short I went about selecting a team to follow so I read up on the team I'd played and immediately took the them. I didn't even acknowledge other teams. The Patriots were strikingly similar to my hometown team Liverpool in how they operated from a organisation standpoint. They didn't wash their dirty laundry in public like other teams and a very well run setup. Playing wise, again they were my type of team and mentality. Hardly any superstars, jusy highly disiplined hard workers who knew, and still do, how to get it done. From then on out I followed the Patriots.

You guys in America may find it hard or even question how a man from another land can have loyalty and a bond with a team over a thousand miles away but I do. You may question if we really do appreciate the team as much as you do, but I do and to be honest with you I never thought I'd get this way about the Patriots. I thought it would be a casual bond but it turned out to be alot more. I nearly woke the street up when Jabar hauled in that TD against the Ravens a few weeks back, which surprised me when emotion just came out.

I relatively new and young compared to most of you, both to football and in life and I still have alot to learn about football, but the love is real people and once I heal up from this little injury I really want to get out to a game to enjoy it with you guys.

I may take some of your women but it's the love for the pats that matters here..

 

[PATSNUTme]

Great Job to you true_patriot for chipping in.
All i can say is 'wow'!
I should start another thread about the Red Sox
How fascinating the stories would be!

Please feel free to do so on the Red Sox forum

 

[Michael]

I would like to hear from other people who were born overseas and how you got to love the Patriots.

Here is my story...
I have been a fan of sports all my life. Moved to the US in 2001.
Didn't know anything about Football (American Version)
Used to watch small clips and always wondered why they call it "Football"
I lived in the Boston area Nov thru Dec of 01 then moved to OH for school.
Watching the local News.

I remember this day so vividly: It was Feb of 2001.
I was in the University theater late in the evening. I remember people walking by the big screen tv, pause for a moment but didn't seem to be interested in the event.
For me, I had no clue what was taking place. I was having a meal and watching bunch of guys with helmets knocking the crap out of each other.

The night went by, didn't know it was the Super Bowl or the name of the teams who played.

I started following the Pats in 2004 season, year of SB against Philly.

Now, I breathe and eat Football for 7 days a week. Like most guys on here, I listen to Sports Radio every day, stay up-to-date with Pats news, players...
I don't miss any special reports about the Pats on the major sports networks...

I learned so much about the Pats. I don't pretend to know as much as some of you folks who have been attached to the team since the 60's.

So one day, it just hit me "that team i was watching on the big screen TV was the PATRIOTS, and it was Super Bowl 37 against the Rams":rocker:

That would have been Super Bowl 36 actually. I didn't read the whole thread but, have you said where you moved from?

 

[snafu]

Coming from a country where football actually means soccer, I didn't have a clue about the rules.

Been in the US since 1999. I had watched superbowl (Rams Vs Titans). That was the first game that I ever watched. Thanks to Madden and his explanation of the rules during the broadcast, I started to understand the game a little bit. I was rooting for the Titans in that game.

Although I watch a little bit of football, I wasn't really into it. I still had a lot of questions about the rules and tactics. For a person who did not go to school in the US or grow up watching or playing football. The game might look boring (too many stoppages). But once you get a hand of it, it becomes a lot more fun.

The next complete game that I watched was the super bowl XXXVI. That game made me a Tom Brady fan. Although I had no clue of what 3-4 or 4-3 defense meant or what nickel & dime meant, I could follow the game. When something happened that didn't make any sense to me, Madden was there to explain it. It was great. That final drive was something. I was sold on that final drive and I've been a Tom Brady fan since.

In a way, I'm a bandwagon fan (7 years and counting ). Luckily for me, I could choose which team to follow.:rocker:

These days, football season is killing me (or rather killing my boss). It's wrecking havoc on my productivity. I couldn't care less.

Go Pats..

 

[oldskool138]

Don't feel alone foreign-born Pats fans. I'm American born and raised and I HATED football when I was younger. I didn't understand it like most of you. It just seemed pointless. A few seconds of people butting heads and then a whole lot of setup to do the same thing.

But then my buddy finally laid out the rules so I could understand them (not that I'm dense or anything) and at the same time Parcells and Bledsoe just signed with the Pats. The rest is history!

I love the stories. Keep 'em coming!

 

[Mike the Brit]

OK, I'll go ...

Growing up, I liked playing sports and watching team sports. I was a very big soccer fan. I also always had a great affection for American culture. Back then, though, I have to admit it was more Bob Dylan, ee cummings and the Grateful Dead. Football didn't sound all that cool.

My first really close American friend (we travelled round Europe together in 1969 when I was 17 and he was an unbelievably sophisticated 21!) was a Jets fan. Well, he'd have to be -- Fordham University, New Jersey, Irish-American, brother a Jesuit priest ... He told me that "Joe Willie" was American Football's answer to George Best. One of my friends in graduate school was a Cowboys fan (and him a New Englander too!) and I was starting to understand the rules (M.A.S.H. helped) but I didn't really become engaged until I arrived to spend a year in Boston/Cambridge in 81-82. That was a dreadful season for the Patriots. I forget whether it was 2-14 or 1-15, but I do know that they had the first pick in the draft (yes, the immortal Ken Simms). I think that one reason I decided to make them my team was that it was kind of unthreatening -- none of my American friends could get offended or accuse me of jumping on the bandwagon!

Anyway, the 80s were a good time for football in the UK. It was really well broadcast (almost complete games on free television, shown without the constant interruptions) and a lot of Brits got interested at that time. Of course, that coincided with the magical run to the Superbowl. I have to admit that enthusiasm waned in the 90s and I didn't follow too closely when Parcells took over. I was happy that he was the Patriots' coach, but somehow it didn't seem right -- he was Giants for me. Enthusiasm came back with the broadcasting of MNF and SNF by Channel 5 and, of course, the transformation of the Patriots thanks to the Krafts and BB.

And now, here I am again living in Cambridge. I kind of miss the late nights in the chat room waiting for the play-by-play but watching the greatest receiver I have ever seen playing for my team has been something that I'll remember as long as I live.

Go Pats!!!

 

[Canadian Patriot]

Ah let's see, Up north while I was sitting in my igloo one day... ahaah

Naw back in Calgary, Alberta, Canada the CFL was over and so was highschool football, I was debating if I should go play College ball in the States or just stick around here and it was also time for the NFL season to begin. 1998 Randy Moss was drafted and I was aboustley amazed at his talent and ability and took a shining to him, also at the same time I hated the glory teams the Cowboys and such so I found myself a nice underdog, the Patriots.. have been following them ever since and oh yeah.. when Randy went to the Patriots I thought I was dreaming

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I would just like to thank all the international fans for sharing their interesting stories with us. I really enjoyed this thread. Thanks again.

 

[Jafo]

Yeah, it's really sucked to root for the Pats the past few years. Good call.

I thought you pats fans were thick skinned. Bwaaaaahaaaahaaaahaaaha!

 

[Jafo]

You really suck at trolling.

That is an honor coming from a pats fan. Thank you.