My Meeting With Members Of UKPatriots.com
On Saturday night I had the pleasure of meeting with other members of UKPatriots.com. The meeting place was the CBS Scene at Patriot Place and the subject was the New England Patriots.
Yes, I am a proud member of UKPatriots.com. These fans came up last week from the UK to see the Patriots play the Vikings. They actually had quite a trip. Many of them went to a Bruins game, a Celtics game and a tour of Fenway Park. But, the main reason of the visit was to come see their favorite football team.
The first thing that struck me was just how dedicated these fans are. To follow the Patriots in the UK is better than it was several years ago, but they do not get the same access that we get here in the United States. Sky Sports is showing more games, but they don't get the media coverage in the UK for the NFL that we get here.
They have the internet, and that obviously helps a great deal. However, the games are on generally 5 hours ahead of kickoff in the U.S. Imagine watching a Monday night game that starts around 1:30 in the morning. That is what I call a dedicated fan that is going to stay up in the middle of the night to watch the Patriots.
The second thing that struck me was their knowledge of the history of the Patriots. I met a fan from Liverpool England who has been following the Patriots since the season of the Patriots first Super Bowl appearance. This fan gave details of his experience following the team. I thought I was talking to myself at one point.
The third thing that stood out to me was the knowledge they have of the current team and the game. We were discussing how young the defense was, and they could tell me the players that were developing. I didn't feel there was anything they didn't know about the Patriots that I knew.
The fourth thing that made an impression on me is that these fans have felt the pain of losing as a Patriots fan. We talked about the almost perfect season and that Super Bowl which I generally despise talking about. One fan brought up an issue that bothers many fans before that game. The name John Tomase came up, and why did he break that story on the day before the Super Bowl. They also talked about how long it took to get over that game.
We talked about the Patriots for three hours, and I have to say I loved every minute of it. I honestly could have stayed their 7 hours talking about the team. It was great to meet fans that go through the same experiences you do as a fan. They just happened to live in the UK.
These fans are extremely knowledgeable about the Patriots, and really want to discuss the team. So I would highly recommend going to UKPatriots.com and becoming a member on their messageboard if you'd like to have a chance to talk to some of UK's finest Patriots fans.
