TheRazor
Banned
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2008
- Messages
- 98
- Reaction score
- 0
Greetings-
I am a 30 something yr old married Irish man residing in Boston, I grew up in, the "city of champions", Brockton MA, and was born into Patriots/ Redsox/ Celtics/ Bruins nation, I never really had a choice. I am a life long fan. When I was a little boy, I remember the adults sitting around the TV set during holidays, and family functions, cheering on our local teams, only to be heart broken at seasons end (with a Celtics exception in the eighties).
What stands out in my mind, to this very day, is the feeling of disrespect all New England Patriot fans have felt from the rest of the league, the national media, and other team's football fans across the nation. The Patriots, I would learn at a very young age, were the poor bottom feeders of the NFL, the armpit of the league,and the laughing stock of non-Patriot fans everywhere.
We cheered them on anyways.
We are talking about a team that was born into homelessness, they used to play in a sectioned off area in left field in Fenway Park, and at college campus'. A team that eventually would be turned down, time and time again, by the state of MA leaders to have a stadium built to house its undying fanbase, and when this finally came to fruition, they would be banned from Monday Night Football for over a decade because of the fans rowdiness, and enthusiastic ways.
I remember my Mother crying when the Redsox lost in '86, and remember the nation laughing at New England the same year when our Patriots lost to the Bears in the Superbowl. That was the year I began to take all of this seriously, that was the year in which my contempt for all of the "outsiders' began, and it has been bubbling and festering ever since.
The Redsox of 2004 exorcized the demons, and made old wounds finally heal, it really didnt matter that year if we won the Championship or not, although it would have, and did, feel great, beating the Yankees in the fashion we did, the greatest comeback in MLB playoff history, was enough for me. But the Patriots, duplicated their feat again in 96, and then with the Carrol era began to take on their old tired role again, it seemed as if we took so many steps forward, only to find ourselves slipping down that slope again.
Enter Bill Belichick, the greatest NFL football coach to grace the game. Something primal spoke to me in the manner we aquired this man, he seemed to embody the Patriot aura; a man who had had enough, enough of playing the bytch to greatness, a man who against great criticism stood tall, held his chin out, and made his own way in the face of adveristy. I immediatly drove down to Foxboro and wrote my first check to Bob Kraft, I was now the proud owner of season tickets.
2001 champions, 2003 champions, 2004 champions, longest winning streak in the history of the NFL, still no refuge from my bitter feelings against the league, national media, and "outsider" fans across the country. What would it take? would superbowls and records be enough to quell these ingrained feelings? The answer I finally have come to accept would be.... NO.
I learned, just this year, that no matter what this team shall accomplish, we will never be, on a national level, loved, as a team, or as a fanbase. Oh, they may respect our numbers, our victories, our depth chart, our coaching abilities, our achievments, but they will never love us, and I am finally ok with that, in fact I have come to an understanding.
1) Fear begets hate.
2) Respect is earned.
3) If they dont respect you, make them fear you.
They, the NFL/ media outlets/ "outsider" fans, will continue to try to tear down the glory of this team, they will continue to give us their backhanded compliments, and understate the success of this franchise, and its ok. This is what this team was molded from, it is the stitch in their fabric, the fuel on their fire, and personally I embrace all the hate that exists, and look forward to the mecca of all satisfying moments.
19-0 Perfection
And untill another team shall unearth that record, we will remain the greatest NFL team the country/ world has ever seen.
I am a 30 something yr old married Irish man residing in Boston, I grew up in, the "city of champions", Brockton MA, and was born into Patriots/ Redsox/ Celtics/ Bruins nation, I never really had a choice. I am a life long fan. When I was a little boy, I remember the adults sitting around the TV set during holidays, and family functions, cheering on our local teams, only to be heart broken at seasons end (with a Celtics exception in the eighties).
What stands out in my mind, to this very day, is the feeling of disrespect all New England Patriot fans have felt from the rest of the league, the national media, and other team's football fans across the nation. The Patriots, I would learn at a very young age, were the poor bottom feeders of the NFL, the armpit of the league,and the laughing stock of non-Patriot fans everywhere.
We cheered them on anyways.
We are talking about a team that was born into homelessness, they used to play in a sectioned off area in left field in Fenway Park, and at college campus'. A team that eventually would be turned down, time and time again, by the state of MA leaders to have a stadium built to house its undying fanbase, and when this finally came to fruition, they would be banned from Monday Night Football for over a decade because of the fans rowdiness, and enthusiastic ways.
I remember my Mother crying when the Redsox lost in '86, and remember the nation laughing at New England the same year when our Patriots lost to the Bears in the Superbowl. That was the year I began to take all of this seriously, that was the year in which my contempt for all of the "outsiders' began, and it has been bubbling and festering ever since.
The Redsox of 2004 exorcized the demons, and made old wounds finally heal, it really didnt matter that year if we won the Championship or not, although it would have, and did, feel great, beating the Yankees in the fashion we did, the greatest comeback in MLB playoff history, was enough for me. But the Patriots, duplicated their feat again in 96, and then with the Carrol era began to take on their old tired role again, it seemed as if we took so many steps forward, only to find ourselves slipping down that slope again.
Enter Bill Belichick, the greatest NFL football coach to grace the game. Something primal spoke to me in the manner we aquired this man, he seemed to embody the Patriot aura; a man who had had enough, enough of playing the bytch to greatness, a man who against great criticism stood tall, held his chin out, and made his own way in the face of adveristy. I immediatly drove down to Foxboro and wrote my first check to Bob Kraft, I was now the proud owner of season tickets.
2001 champions, 2003 champions, 2004 champions, longest winning streak in the history of the NFL, still no refuge from my bitter feelings against the league, national media, and "outsider" fans across the country. What would it take? would superbowls and records be enough to quell these ingrained feelings? The answer I finally have come to accept would be.... NO.
I learned, just this year, that no matter what this team shall accomplish, we will never be, on a national level, loved, as a team, or as a fanbase. Oh, they may respect our numbers, our victories, our depth chart, our coaching abilities, our achievments, but they will never love us, and I am finally ok with that, in fact I have come to an understanding.
1) Fear begets hate.
2) Respect is earned.
3) If they dont respect you, make them fear you.
They, the NFL/ media outlets/ "outsider" fans, will continue to try to tear down the glory of this team, they will continue to give us their backhanded compliments, and understate the success of this franchise, and its ok. This is what this team was molded from, it is the stitch in their fabric, the fuel on their fire, and personally I embrace all the hate that exists, and look forward to the mecca of all satisfying moments.
19-0 Perfection
And untill another team shall unearth that record, we will remain the greatest NFL team the country/ world has ever seen.
So hate on that.
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