Opinion Thread: When do we draw the line?

**before this gets started, I'd just like to please ask that we all be respectful of each other's opinions. Everyone has a different one and would like to hear them all**

Good evening, everyone. I had this discussion with a fellow Pats fan at work Friday afternoon, and I am curious on everyone's opinions. When do you consider what we are doing as "acting against the NFL" and when does someone cross the line to "no longer a Pats fan"?

This is my reality right now: I am stationed in IL, so I cannot watch the Patriots every week on local TV like most who live in New England. I have had DirecTV and Sunday Ticket since 2007, and have gladly paid every year to see my team play. What does one do now? Here is where I am getting stuck in a logic loop: If I pay to watch the Patriots every week, I am paying Roger Goodell and helping the league's bottom line. To me that feels like condoning this whole farce. So no to Sunday Ticket. Ok, now what? Going to a BWW is probably pricier, plus the noise and dealing with drunk people makes it a no-go for me. I could try some online means, but besides the moral or ethical questions (if I'm illegally streaming games, am I teaching my kids the wrong thing? Taking money from the players?) I have heard the quality is usually fair at best and makes the whole experience frustrating. So do I not watch the games at all? If I am not watching the Pats I am not supporting them...if I'm not supporting them am I really a fan? No, I am a fan and I WANT to see them play; even after all of this I look forward to seeing the team, seeing how they "sack up for the back up", how Brady responds when he comes back, how they deploy their forces on the quest for #5. Sunday's watching the Patriots with my wife and sons is one of my great joys in life, scumbag commish or not. So, maybe I should just pay the Sunday Ticket bill...which leads back to square one.

So, how are you all doing with this? I know I'm not the only one in this type of situation. How do you all feel?

If each Sunday night you begin to look forward to next Sunday, you stay. If watching the Patriots beat teams and piss off and exasperate the rest of the country and media pleases you, you stay. If you think about this team and its greatness all the time, you stay. If when you travel outside NE and hear other teams' fans speak of your team with hatred and jealousy and you enjoy it, you stay. If when thinking about the Patriots, you find yourself not excited and not fully invested emotionally in their fortunes, you leave. For me, 56 years of rooting aren't going to be trashed because of this **** that's happened. I suspect if there is doubt in your mind, you're probably done. Aren't you glad you asked?

I just spent over $1800 for NFL tickets, so my opinion is do it.

i care way more about the patriots than i do about fighting back. could never imagine not watching the first 4 games as a protest...

A Patriot fan not paying to watch is insignificant to the NFL's bottom line.
There's nothing to gain and everything to lose (fan's enjoyment) ...
Not only that but the issue at hand is between the union and the league at this point ... nothing we say or do is going to change how it plays out.

So pay and enjoy.

Hopefully there is a future battle to harm Goodell where fans from other teams can all join in to screw him.

You could illegally obtain NFL Sunday Ticket for like $20 and buy your jerseys from China if you really want.

blackglass3 said:

**before this gets started, I'd just like to please ask that we all be respectful of each other's opinions. Everyone has a different one and would like to hear them all**

Good evening, everyone. I had this discussion with a fellow Pats fan at work Friday afternoon, and I am curious on everyone's opinions. When do you consider what we are doing as "acting against the NFL" and when does someone cross the line to "no longer a Pats fan"?

This is my reality right now: I am stationed in IL, so I cannot watch the Patriots every week on local TV like most who live in New England. I have had DirecTV and Sunday Ticket since 2007, and have gladly paid every year to see my team play. What does one do now? Here is where I am getting stuck in a logic loop: If I pay to watch the Patriots every week, I am paying Roger Goodell and helping the league's bottom line. To me that feels like condoning this whole farce. So no to Sunday Ticket. Ok, now what? Going to a BWW is probably pricier, plus the noise and dealing with drunk people makes it a no-go for me. I could try some online means, but besides the moral or ethical questions (if I'm illegally streaming games, am I teaching my kids the wrong thing? Taking money from the players?) I have heard the quality is usually fair at best and makes the whole experience frustrating. So do I not watch the games at all? If I am not watching the Pats I am not supporting them...if I'm not supporting them am I really a fan? No, I am a fan and I WANT to see them play; even after all of this I look forward to seeing the team, seeing how they "sack up for the back up", how Brady responds when he comes back, how they deploy their forces on the quest for #5. Sunday's watching the Patriots with my wife and sons is one of my great joys in life, scumbag commish or not. So, maybe I should just pay the Sunday Ticket bill...which leads back to square one.

So, how are you all doing with this? I know I'm not the only one in this type of situation. How do you all feel?

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Nothing wrong with downloading games. You are, after all, downloading what the rest of us in New England watch for free.

The only people who object to this is the NFL front office because this represents a loss of revenue for them, which is all the more reason you should download the games.

Once the Pats start supporting ISIS is where I draw the line.

I watched them long them long before Goodell and I'll continue to watch them long after Goodell. The only thing that has changed is how I choose to spend my money to support them.

I stream the games EVERY Sunday. Then I download them to watch the clear copy. The streams can be tricky sometimes, but I always download later that night or the following day, so I usually catch any plays I may have missed if my stream cut out for a few minutes. Some might find it a bit tedious, and maybe it is...but it works for me.

But as far as giving up on this team, nevah!

Been a fan since '74. Back then,you couldn't watch many of the away games, and so you either listened in on the radio, if you could get a station calking the game, or you waited until the next morning and read the game summery in the newspaper.

Fortunately I live in the market, so I could cancel my NFL Sunday Ticket, and let DirecTV know WHY I was cancelling it.

I'll remain a loyal Patriots fan until I pass away. But the rest of the league, and that crapweasely Commish? My comment to them all is GFY!

As one that can watch them on "free" TV I would be hypocritical in whatever stand I take.

That said by watching the games I help CBS, NBC, Fox, or ABC/ESPN (whoever has the game that week) charge their advertisers and pay the NFL. That is so distant I lose no sleep over it. I doubt your Direct TV (or whatever) seriously is impactful.

But reread my first sentence. I'm afraid that in the end you have to decide for yourself.

We still pay for the season tickets. As ticked off as I am, my family back east still enjoys going to the games.

I don't pay for the NFL ticket or any DTV sports channels any longer. My way of protesting. There are plenty of nationally televised games on "free" TV. I also can walk to a bar or restaurant and watch. Last resort is driving to a buddies house to watch on his DTV/DVR.

Tough call here. I understand your pain, but as long as Tom and Bill are involved I will watch this team.

As Pats fans I think we need to support the team while TFB is suspended even more.

Technical question: I don't live in NE anymore. Is there any reason why I can't buy my NH-residing mother in law a slingshot, and watch from her free broadcast? There's no revenue increase to the NFL from that, correct? (I don't watch the ads).

And if I can do that, can't anyone? Could we set up an on-line network of people to connect NE residents with fans living in other states, like a social network, to create this opportunity across the country?

It's just a game. No one died in the latest fraud. Enjoy it while you can.

Can't fault people for Re-buying season tickets, you know for certain someone else will pick them up within seconds. In fact, keeping the tickets, going to the games and not buying anything is about the best thing you can do - keeps another guy from taking your place and spending $100-200 at each game.

Streaming the games online seems the lesser of two evils however, the bigger evil being supporting this corruption.

Don't worry too much @blackglass3. Looking around the world, I can't identify one major sporting league or body who hasn't sold its soul to the corporate devil. As a businessman, I understand the economics of sport. As a fan, I hate it.

With each passing year, I'm finding myself less invested in the teams I follow.

Cannot stand the corrupt money grubbing NYJFL
But not comfortable stealing someone else's work product

I am a long time season ticket holder. I am mad at the NFL for acting fraudulently in this case and at Bob Kraft for being a wuss more interested in maintaining his cash cow than his loyal player's reputation. I am not going to attend or watch any games where Tom Brady is suspended and not playing. I am not going to watch opening night or other games that don't involve the Patriots, at least during the time he is suspended. I boycotted the draft (we made an impact there) and I plan to boycott the preseason. I am not going to purchase any NFL merchandise and I am going to limit my spending at Patriots Place. This does not mean that I don't support the team. I will figure out how to watch or listen to the games, perhaps the day after, without giving the NFL any clicks or advertising dollars. Others can say this will have no impact, but I disagree. For example, this past weekend I had to purchase a baby gift. Normally I would go out and spend between $50-100 to get something Patriots-themed that has an "Official NFL Merchandise" tag on it. Instead I bought a baby store gift card. Normally I purchase at least one official jersey per year (sometimes a lot more if Santa decides to be generous at Christmas). Not this year, and probably not until Goodell is gone. The NFL is going to lose a lot of $$ on me. That is the only way I can hit back a little. If lots of people do it, it will make an impact. The ruling in Brady's favor was not overturned until after I already paid for my season tickets or I might not have renewed. I don't know what I will do next year, but I so love attending Patriots games that I will find it very hard to give them up.

I do not advocate violence against anyone including Roger Goodell, but if I ran into him in a restaurant or on the street in Maine you bet your *** I would give him a piece of my mind and I hope everyone else does too. I hope he finds it so uncomfortable to go to his house in ME that he decides to sell it. He isn't "good" enough to set foot in NE.

robertweathers said:

Once the Pats start supporting ISIS is where I draw the line.

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Wait, we're not ISIS?