Out of Town Pats Fans Speak Up

[CheeseMonkeys]

I wonder how many posters on this board are just bandwagon fans that decided that the Patriots were their favorite team because they were highly successful. Kind of like people I know here in NH that like the Yankees because they constantly win.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I guess I'm in no-NFL-fans-land. No locals here know what the hell a Patriot is. Some vaguely know of something called a "Super Bowl". The bar down the street that plays some NFL games is full of whores and I don't care for it. One of my fellow American ex-pats here is a Packers fan. Another buddy is a Vikings fan. The rest are European and only like their football. The only American that works for me here is a casual Colts fan.

Sometimes I feel very, very lonely football-wise. I felt a bit of a connection when the Pats had their office in Beijing, but that's gone now. If you see me stalking this place at all hours of the day and night, you can understand why. You may also understand why I'm willing to spend so much time and money to fly home once or twice a year to see a game from "my" seats at Gillette (that my dad looks after now).

Gee thanks, now I'm depressed!

Honestly though, this board is one of my best connections to back home, and it helps to keep me sane (even if sometimes it drives me crazy).

Reason why Patjew is one of our favorites here ... his truly is a labor of love and dedication.

I hope the Patriots never send him a Dear John letter ...

 

[jmt57]

They pretty much hate everything New England.

My roommate hates Boston, and has never been there... ignorant ****er.

I think I sense MUCH jealousy seeing as the Bengals have had many below average seasons of late, then there's me, getting angry because Brady miss threw a pass or moss missed a catch when I'm watching a game and the Pats are up 35pts, and the Bengals are usually under .500...

Maybe I shouldn't be, but I'm a little surprised. A place like Pittsburgh I can completely understand because of the two AFCCG losses they endured, plus attention taken away from their claim to the most Super Bowl victories. I would have figured that their anger would have been focused on the Steelers, Browns and Ravens. What has NE ever done to the Bengals, or Cincy and northern Kentucky? I guess it's caused some inferiority and jealousy, I don't know.

I know everybody goes from loving the underdog to immediately wanting to see the king of the hill fall once they win more than once, but it's been since the Pats have won it all. So much for that middle America charm and making you feel welcome. I suppose the combination of spygate and the media watch of a perfect season is still too fresh in people's minds.

 

[PatsSox363804]

Maybe I shouldn't be, but I'm a little surprised. A place like Pittsburgh I can completely understand because of the two AFCCG losses they endured, plus attention taken away from their claim to the most Super Bowl victories. I would have figured that their anger would have been focused on the Steelers, Browns and Ravens. What has NE ever done to the Bengals, or Cincy and northern Kentucky? I guess it's caused some inferiority and jealousy, I don't know.

I know everybody goes from loving the underdog to immediately wanting to see the king of the hill fall once they win more than once, but it's been since the Pats have won it all. So much for that middle America charm and making you feel welcome. I suppose the combination of spygate and the media watch of a perfect season is still too fresh in people's minds.

I didn't get it either and it was well before spygate.

 

[tajapandu]

I'm from Texas, raised in Corpus Christi and lived in Austin for college. I was born in Connecticut and moved here when i was really young. I've been a Pats fan since 1997, Super Bowl Sunday. as a kid i never really got into the Cowboys like everyone else around here. But that year, before the Super Bowl, my dad told me the story of 1985. (I'm 23, by the way.) He was fairly new to this country at the time (immigrated from India), and he didn't know much about football. Early in the 85 season, my dad just hooked on to the Pats because they were the closest team to Norwich, CT (just barely closer than the Jets. lucky me.) All his brothers and friends gave him so much grief all season, because the Pats were a laughing stock up to that point. He picked them to win all through the playoffs, learning more about football along the way. Then come Super Bowl time, he had learned a thing or two about football and said, "ok, there's no way we're beating the Bears." And we all know what happened.

Anyways, he told me the story of that season before that Super Bowl, so I rooted for them in that Super Bowl, and they've been my team ever since.

The sucky part is, everyone I meet who didn't know me prior to 2003 obviously thinks i'm a fairweather fan. Every time i say i'm a Patriots fan i have to qualify it. So I just try to root for them silently.

 

[Patjew]

Reason why Patjew is one of our favorites here ... his truly is a labor of love and dedication.

Thanks Icy!

I hope the Patriots never send him a Dear John letter ...

They better not!

I've really been enjoying this thread.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Los Angeles here. Easy enough being a Pats fan, since there isn't a local team; they're all USC fans, with a few Chargers fans for comic relief.

 

[jmt57]

Los Angeles here. Easy enough being a Pats fan, since there isn't a local team; they're all USC fans, with a few Chargers fans for comic relief.

I've heard Sonny McLean's is the place to go to watch the Pats; ever been there?

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I guess I'm in no-NFL-fans-land. No locals here know what the hell a Patriot is. Some vaguely know of something called a "Super Bowl". The bar down the street that plays some NFL games is full of whores and I don't care for it. One of my fellow American ex-pats here is a Packers fan. Another buddy is a Vikings fan. The rest are European and only like their football. The only American that works for me here is a casual Colts fan.

Sometimes I feel very, very lonely football-wise. I felt a bit of a connection when the Pats had their office in Beijing, but that's gone now. If you see me stalking this place at all hours of the day and night, you can understand why. You may also understand why I'm willing to spend so much time and money to fly home once or twice a year to see a game from "my" seats at Gillette (that my dad looks after now).

Gee thanks, now I'm depressed!

Honestly though, this board is one of my best connections to back home, and it helps to keep me sane (even if sometimes it drives me crazy).

awww....l'shana tova there big guy!

 

[Ben]

Maybe I shouldn't be, but I'm a little surprised. A place like Pittsburgh I can completely understand because of the two AFCCG losses they endured, plus attention taken away from their claim to the most Super Bowl victories. I would have figured that their anger would have been focused on the Steelers, Browns and Ravens. What has NE ever done to the Bengals, or Cincy and northern Kentucky? I guess it's caused some inferiority and jealousy, I don't know.

I know everybody goes from loving the underdog to immediately wanting to see the king of the hill fall once they win more than once, but it's been since the Pats have won it all. So much for that middle America charm and making you feel welcome. I suppose the combination of spygate and the media watch of a perfect season is still too fresh in people's minds.

Yeah. I really don't understand where it comes from, its just a general hate for everything up north. Everything fine and dandy if you don't bring anything "NE" related up. Hopefully the Pats beat up on the Bengals enough to give me bragging rights for another year, God help me if they lose.

 

[Patjew]

awww....l'shana tova there big guy!

Thanks, and the same to all the bros and sisters out there!

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Well, I live in the Apple. Near Second Avenue in midtown, where a lot of the sports bars are located.

Worst night of my Pats' fan life? SB XLII of course. Not only did I have to watch it with a couple of Giants fans, but I had to listen to the partying on the street and the horns blowing underneath my window all night. For an entire week, my morning ritual was to open the door of my apartment at six AM and then, instead of bringing the papers into my home, to walk down the corridor to the trash room and throw them out without looking at them or reading them.

I've gotten some measure of consolation from the increasingly obvious fact that the Giants win that day was a fluke and even some New York tabloid writers have started to say the same thing.

Now, I have to live with the constant drumbeat of "Rex" and "The Sanchize" and "Revis Island" and "Super Bowl or Bust."

I just can't tell you how great a day it will be this Fall or Winter when it's obvious that the Jets have imploded or are out of the Playoff picture. Oh, happy day!

 

[Patjew]

It is trully a beautiful place with quite a few characters, but the winters are long and the summers can be cool and rainy. I sit at my kitchen table and look out over Kachemak Bay and the mountains and glaciers beyond. People come from all over the world to catch the halibut. There is not much in the way of jobs, but my schedule lets me live about wherever I want. PM me if you have any questions.

BTW my wife is from Nanning City. That was a typo.

Tried to PM you but received a message that you can't accept PMs. Can you activate your PM or let me know where to email you? Thanks Captain.

 

[Coach42]

I live on Maui and have had many positive football viewing experiences out here. Games are on at 7 am so cracking beers can be a little tough but I have managed to survive. Overall the bar scene is a lot of fun since there is no real "home team" groups of fans from all over the country congregate in different areas of the bars. Makes for a LOT of fun when rival groups (such as skins/boys) get together. Its a real intense but fun situation because every week there is some interaction from all 32 fan bases I think its a pretty unique situation.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I've heard Sonny McLean's is the place to go to watch the Pats; ever been there?

I've heard the same from a few people, but I haven't been up that way for football yet. I don't spend much time up in Santa Monica, and because there's no home team it's usually pretty easy to get the Pats game on wherever. I definitely plan to hunt down a good place in a Long Beach, though- I hear there are a few for Pats fans.

 

[Jackson 2]

Well, I live in the Apple. Near Second Avenue in midtown, where a lot of the sports bars are located.

Worst night of my Pats' fan life? SB XLII of course. Not only did I have to watch it with a couple of Giants fans, but I had to listen to the partying on the street and the horns blowing underneath my window all night. For an entire week, my morning ritual was to open the door of my apartment at six AM and then, instead of bringing the papers into my home, to walk down the corridor to the trash room and throw them out without looking at them or reading them.

I've gotten some measure of consolation from the increasingly obvious fact that the Giants win that day was a fluke and even some New York tabloid writers have started to say the same thing.

Now, I have to live with the constant drumbeat of "Rex" and "The Sanchize" and "Revis Island" and "Super Bowl or Bust."

I just can't tell you how great a day it will be this Fall or Winter when it's obvious that the Jets have imploded or are out of the Playoff picture. Oh, happy day!

Not to worry, my friend. Just sit back and enjoy it...

 

[Jackson 2]

Fascinating stuff. Thanks to all of you who responded.

 

[SunnyDenmark]

NFL in Denmark : Part Deux – From the turn of the century to infinity ……and beyond

Last we heard from our intrepid Pats fan abroad– he was stuck in a technological time warp (1990’s) with pre/ early internet access in Copenhagen. ‘Dancing’ arrows showed game plays drawn over a 2D football field. To get the real time sounds of the game , cheers of the fans, etc– he was forced to stomach listening to Gil and Geno while being 5 seconds delay between screen arrow hightlights and the internet streamed radio broadcast. It was a labor of love having to imagine the arrow being a receiver and hearing Gil refer to the receiver as ‘David’ Branch. Or when Gil refered to the obviously disgruntled coach on the sideslines as ‘Havlicek’.

Still it was far better than just waiting to the next morning to buy a paper and see a little box score. Stats alone can be very misleading when taken out of the context of the situation at hand. (ie. An incompletion due to throwing the ball out of bounds can be vastly better than suffering a sack or worse yet, an interception).

But our boyhood Bostonian still longed for the days of real time broadcasts and Madden scribbling lines on the TV screen. Denmark started showing live in the late ‘90s the Super Bowl on a major network channel. It got some interest and seemed to grow very modestly each year. The proverbial ‘Big Bang’ occurred in 1999 when Denmarks’ local boy wonder Morten Andersen’s field goal in overtime allowed Atlanta Falcons to upset Minnesota and advance to their first ever Super Bowl. The (cheese) Danish media was quick to pounce on the story. As nothing else much of interest occurs here unless you consider ‘real news’ the newest Lego toy debut. The game drew good ratings locally and even though Atlanta lost rather resondingly – Morten Andersen did his part by being 2/2 FG’s. In the subsequent years – the local interest remained with people following Mortens’ career and wondering A) will Atlanta go back to the SB – (no). B) Can Morten overtake Gary Andersen as the all-time leading scorer in NFL history – (YES).

So just as we all grew up with a childhood sports hero (Bird, Yaz, Fisk, Orr, Borque, Pierce, etc) , the (great) Danes could learn the game of NFL while following Morten Andersens quest to be the all time leading scorer. Luckily, the following season (2000) a large TV channel founded a sister startup channel aimed at 15-30 year old men – called ‘TV2 Zulu’. It started broadcasting live the late game 4:00 pm. Which Danish time is Sunday night between 10:00 pm – 01:00 am. The 2 local announcers enthusiasm made up for their lack of expertise. During the breaks, instead of US commercials – they had the replays, game highlights, other scores and good banter between the 2 hosts. Also time to explain the game to newbees. The audience grew each year and then I believe about 2005 or 2006, they started showing live both the 1:00 pm and 04:15 pm games. While there are no real ‘sports bars’ with 10-20 different sports games going on, some of the British pubs started showing the Nfl telecast from the British Sky sports channel as there is no live soccer nor rugby occuring during that time period (Sunday night Europe time).

I think it also helped the growth of NFL in Denmark that during the last 10 years, A) the Super Bowls have been pretty exciting - unlike many in the ’80 / ’90 which were blowouts. B) Rugby & Aussie rules football is not at all popular here so not competing against that fan base like it does in the UK. C) Favorable time period Sunday nights. D) a few good consistent winning teams to ‘hitch your wagon to’ (Colts, Pats, Eagles, etc) and yet, also enough cinderella teams each year reaching the playoffs (roughly 50% turnover each year). So thankfully not like baseball which has turned into a form of oligopoly (look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls!).

While not all areas in little Denmark (5.5 million evolved vikings) received that minor network on their cable package, most did or could pay alittle extra to get it. As football is such a good sport to watch together, I am sure many young fans would watch it together increasing the ‘game viewing excitement’. Sometime around 2007/ 2008, a major TV channel (available to most all on a basic cable package) picked up the later game thereby A) attesting to the popularity , B) allowing the growth to others not exposed to it before –especially those ‘just curious’ as much easier to get hooked on something when it is being broadcast on the ‘free’ channel. Also they started broadcasting, the MNF games and have been broadcasting ALL playoff games for at least 6-7 years now.

There has been for many years some flag football leagues. And to my surprise the the real ‘helmets and pads’ version also with playoffs and championship game. I actually saw some ‘lowlights’ of the last championship game and I can say though that it resembles the talent level of a division III college. But it is a great way to get more involved – both players and fans.

I was even surprised to come out of my daughters baskeball practice recently and see a team playing on the field behind the gym. They were in full pads, had the zebras calling out penalties in English and most surprising of all – were aged 13-16! So the danish youth are especially embracing the sport.

Finally, let me just say that as a Pats fan, with the ‘Gamepass’ offer (internet streaming TV) from NFL from about 2006 onwards, I can follow every Pats TV telecast. So I am a very happy camper now – and have banished those ‘dancing arrows’ to my nightmares. Thanks for those who can stomach this long diatribe. The Readers Digest / A.D.D. version: NFL is alive and well in Denmark.

Cheers and beers, ‘Sunny’
Denmark (Due east of Scotland, north of Timbuktu)

P.S. Part ‘Trois’ : To infinity and beyond – coming soon to theater near you.

 

[Clonamery]

If I'm wearing my Tedy Bruschi replica jersey, Patriots cap and am barefoot in public in tracksuit paints and am short of a dollar there's always the off chance that I can plonk myself on the floor, put my hat on ground upturned and hold a piece of cardboard asking for people to donate a talon for an old ex-leper.

Easiest couple of hundred dollars you'll ever make. Not only do I get to spread the good word of the Patriots to the subconscious of the Western Australian masses but they pay me for it!

OK OK that was a complete fabrication

Whew.....thank goodness, as I was having deja vu reading that.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

P.S. Part ‘Trois’ : To infinity and beyond – coming soon to theater near you.

This reads suspiciously like another one of those movie drama-series where they get you hooked, but don't have the next vignette in production pending viewer response (that always ends up badly for me, the truly horrid movies get made and the good ones leave you hanging with a lifetime of vivid dreams waking you in the middle of the night wondering, 'did intrepid and plucky Sunny go on to view the future Championship glories of his team?' :enranged: Damn all drama!

)