Long Term Effects on the Franchise

The Gr8est said:

I made the same decision this morning to not wear my Pats jersey while out running errands.

It's incredible that with one week to go before my team plays in the Superbowl, that I need to be concerned that I might be subject to more than just good natured harassment.

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Even when I hear the occasional spygate reference I just reply with 'yah and they've won more games than anyone else after spygate' and the other person usually laughs and says I know im kidding. Noone is honestly malicious. I think the average person knows this is all entertainment in the end and treats it as such. Im a huge Pats fan and noone as attacked me. People have joked but that's it. Like I said only the idiots who patrol espn or pft forums take any of this nonsense to heart.

Winning cures all and shuts others up.

Depend on location, here so far in Chicago, there isn't any spewing when I was wearing a Patriots jacket. There are some who jokingly said hope Belicheck get fired so we can hired him quickly, stop cheating, and a weird woman hoping she could deflate Brady's ball.

Surprisingly, the sport media here were laughing at the whole thing, most of them think it's stupid.

skspikex2 said:

Depend on location, here so far in Chicago, there isn't any spewing when I was wearing a Patriots jacket. There are some who jokingly said hope Belicheck get fired so we can hired him quickly, stop cheating, and a weird woman hoping she could deflate Brady's ball.

Surprisingly, the sport media here were laughing at the whole thing, most of them think it's stupid.

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Exactly, same here in DC area. Most people are just laughing their butts off at Brunell crying.

sphen22 said:

So I'm a Patriot fan living out here in California, moved from NH in 07.

Firstly I believe brady and bill and it is obvious negligence or mother nature is too blame here.

Pre flat footballs when I went out in public in my patriots jersey I would still get haters to say something occasionally but I normally would just brush it off, it didn't happen too often but I'm sure more often than other jersey wearers considering we make other teams our punching bag so frequently.

So sadly for the first time I went to a public event last night with my wife and 2 year old where I would normally be in a Jersey but I didn't wear it. I simply knew the likely hood of an a-clown embarrassing himself in front of my kid was too high.

These talking heads in the media make it seem like trashing the patriots is a freaking obligation.

I seriously am contimplating moving my patriots license plate frame over to my new truck now fearing some idiot will key it.

Call me paranoid or whatever but this is certainly going to have a ill effect on pats fans outide New England and it's a shame.

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For the past 15 years, this franchise has provided more joy, excitement, entertainment, and satisfaction than any in sports history.

The mastermind has a deep and mutual disdain for the press that will ALWAYS make him a target.

Some may not like it, but it's all part of what you signed up for.

My advice would be to "Ice up,son".

If you don't have the testicular fortitude for this, it's time to move on.....figure skating always needs fans.

sieglo said:

I'm starting to wonder if I am a Pats fan or a Brady/Belichick fan. At least until the franchise finds a new owner with balls.

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I think they're all in this together and are doing the only thing they can do right now.

Show416 said:

I live in Virginia (suburb of DC) and it's mainly Redskins fans around here and wore my Pats shirt at the gym yesterday. Some guy came up to me and said 'it's gonna be a good game' no mention of balls at all.

I also own my own restuarant and was wearing my shirt there, no one really cares from what I'm seeing honestly. Cowboys fans, Redskins fans, Eagles fans we all spoke about the game and deflategate and the general reaction was honestly supportive and indifferent. Alot of people are seriously tired of this story.

I think it's mainly the media and moron fans who think too much about this stuff about the 'integrity' of the game being questioned. Like I said i've spoke about this with over 50 people and not a single person thinks this had any outcome in the game or called the Patriots cheaters. Many even said it's only a big deal because it's the Pats.

Most fans don't care about trivial crap like this in my honest opinion. Even my cousin who is the biggest Manning supporter and hates the Pats was saying this story is so overblown and he's tired of it.

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I agree. I've worn my Pats jersey to games at the Meadowlands against the Jets so I don't give a rat's @ss what anyone has to say. Most of the comments I've heard have been about how pathetic it is that this whole mess is getting the attention that it is instead of more pressing things like wars, laws, diseases and human injustice...you know the day-to-day things happening around the world that actually mean something and are important.

Whether Spygate, illegal formations, deceptive trades or this, who cares? Do you actually believe the typical NFL fan likes your team? It will be a cold day in hell when I stop wearing my team's gear in Texas. For those concerned about property damage or people acting like jerks, how is now any different than 2 weeks or 2 years ago? The Pats are and were hated at that time.

Deal with the fact that only the Patriots fans like the Patriots. If you were the fan of another team for any length of time, would you like or feign respect for the team that has stomped on the NFL for more than a decade? Would you love the Bills, or Niners or Cowboys or Donkeys during the times they were unstoppable in getting to the title game and dominated the playoff scene? Multiply those periods of dominance by 4 and you have what the Pats have done. The entire NFL fanbase other than us would happily see this team erased, if only for the change in scenery. That is why the first four games had a "ding, dong the witch is dead" feel to it. And then, much to my great pleasure, like that awesome scene in A Perfect Storm where the clouds break for a moment just before dumping everything on the little boat, the Pats returned in force.

My suggestion is have fun with this. My typical answer is "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying" or I ask when their team last won a title. The fact is, most other teams suck and any tiny shred of a conspiracy theory gives them hope that history is not reality. But you had better have a thick skin. A title for the Pats of "beloved' outside this fan base is unlikely, so develop a thick skin or get out for your own mental health. I would much rather have the team hated than pitied and ridiculed as the 'Patsies', a term some of the older fans had to hear for so many years. Enjoy the success now, because it does not last forever.

If this thing ends with possible theories but nothing conclusive and no punishment, because of the venom being spewed already by plenty of media members, it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone in the media makes something up but has "sources" which either implicates Brady or the team in some overt act which basically displays acts of cheating, cover-up, deception.

"an interview with a source with ties to the Patriots organization reveals that Brady asked an equipment employee how we can deflate the balls below the minimum level" or some complete BS. Of course, people believe what they want to believe so this becomes fact not unlike the Rams walkthrough filming which is still quoted casually today as fact.

This has nothing to do with "advantage gained" but with circumventing a rule. Perspective is irrelevant. This is a crusade that has been started by an opponent(s) and will be carried out by the media if in their minds justice is not served.
The thought of cheating is one thing. Cheating and then lying about it! Well, an act of murder raises less outrage.

Can you imagine the added motivation for some of these unscrupulous human beings should the Patriots win next week?

No, my concern is this won't end when the NFL investigation is over.

Don't care. I'm still going to root for them EVERY time those players and that coach take the field.

I also have found that fans of other franchises are somewhat sympathetic. A Giants fan and an Eagles fan I know both stood up for the Pats on this issue. Today when I went out I wore extra Pats gear than normal in defiance.

I'm proud to support this team.

Sports aren't that important, or at least they shouldn't be important. If you feel that wearing Patriots gear could cause harm, physical or verbal, to you or your family then don't wear it. I lived in San Diego during the years we ended their best years and wearing my jersey or hat wasn't worth people trying to fight me, swear at me and even throw cups and bottles at me.

Be a fan but realize there are a ton of really stupid, irrational people out there with more justification than ever to be stupid and irrational.

I wear a Pats shirt just about every day, I have a ton of them. A couple of people down here in Tampa have asked me about deflategate and I told them it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and that the media was a disgrace.

Not much of a Jersey wearer myself (except my autographed Coates in the house on game day), and not one for the internet tough guy stuff.. BUTTTT..

BB's presser was a milestone moment for this franchise. This will be proven over time.

He stood there and was thorough, articulate, forceful, authoritative and detailed.

For 20 minutes....he was Ronald Reagan, Norman Swartzkopf, Dwight Eisenhower and Bill Parcells combined.

Poke the bear and thats what happens.

Media: You are now on notice.

I am getting quite tired of hearing about poor Mr Kraft and the damage Bill Belichick has done to his franchise.

I give Kraft credit for hiring Belichick, but Kraft did not bring this franchise to 6 superbowls.
The value of the Patiots is up over 500%, since Belichick took over as coach. Patriot Place probably would have never been built if it wasn't for Belichick being our coach.

Anyone who thinks Kraft should fire Belichick is a complete idiot.

Kraft knows that one day his team will be 4-12 again, and that day probably won't come as long as
Bill Belichick is our coach. When the Patriots do end up 4-12 somewhere down the road, most people
who remember the late 80's and early 90's will know that there is a very good chance that a lot of the
club seats will not be renewed and filling the stadium will become a major challenge.

I remember the mid 80's when the Celtics had a 50 year waiting list and 10 years later Bird, McHale & Parrish retired, there was no waiting list for season tickets. The Celtics were selling tickets for $10 to try to fill the garden.

Nothing last forever, but with Bill Belichick as our coach we are on a 15 year and counting run that may never be matched in the salary cap world of today.

We the fans, know what we have in Bill Belichick. We have the best football coach of all time.

Everyone that jumped off the bandwagon of the greatest sports organization in professional sports.....please stay off.