The Fear Of Being Called A “Homer” Drives The Negative Slant Towards The New England Patriots

Russ Goldman

8 years ago at 9:48 am ET

Steve Balestrieri - PatsFans.com

I have been a fan of the New England Patriots for over forty years, so I have experienced the highs and lows of following this team. However, the coverage of the team has always been much more glass half empty than half full, so it got me to ponder the reason for it, and I think I have the answer. The fear of being called a “homer” drives the negative slant towards the New England Patriots.

The “homer” issue does not just apply to the New England Patriots in this region, but I am focusing more on them for this article. So, what does it actually mean to be a “homer”? Well, here is the definition below from the Urban Dictionary.

“Someone who shows blind loyalty to a team or organization, typically ignoring any shortcomings or faults they have.”

If you follow the coverage of the Patriots, it tends to slant more negative, and I truly believe that it deals with the fear of being called a “homer”. Not many around here want that label that they are bias towards the Patriots, so it moves them to the other extreme, and there should be a happy medium.

Many in the media have mentioned that the Boston market is different, and that we are critical of our teams, so in essence we are better than other markets across the county. The Boston area is a wonderful sports region, but it is not for being ultra negative on the teams, but it is about the passion of the fans, who can praise and criticize the teams they support. Patriots fans I feel are not “homers”, but are loyal to their team. They can be very critical of the Pats, but they will support them in every way.

I will use Deflategate as an example of this fear of being called a “homer” by several in the media. Once this story first broke, the tone by many in the media here was that the Patriots must have done something. When the Wells Report came out, many in the media started the charge that Tom Brady must have done something. Why were they quick to put the Patriots and Brady in a negative light?

Let me say, there are some brave media members that have done their homework, and do not think Brady did anything, but I have heard these people called “homers”. So, it is understandable why the majority of the Boston media immediately go towards the negative agenda, because they do not want that label.

Rick Pitino was right many years ago when he talked about the negativity in Boston, but what it is really about involves this label of potentially being biased towards the local teams. It is too bad that many go towards the worst first, when it comes to the Patriots or any teams in my region.

I am a glass “half full” fan of the Patriots, and I have often been very critical of the team. However, some look at me as a “homer” just because of my positive outlook on the team and life. That is just wrong, but the negative slant brought on by the fear of being called a homer drives the narrative here in the Boston area.