“They hate us cause they ain’t us” has become a common rally cry among fans of the New England Patriots in recent years as various “scandals” and complaints have been aimed in the direction of their team.
Whether it was Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin complaning about Scott Zolak’s radio broadcast in his head (“It always happens here”) or a nearly year long investigation into a “ball deflation scheme” its understood the Patriots are not very well liked beyond the borders of New England.
A recent USA Today story by writer Luke Kerr-Dineen, made its rounds in social media discussions this week with his “Ranking all 32 Teams By Likeability.” The Patriots were placed 31 of 32 teams. Only ahead of the Washington Redskins but behind the Dallas Cowboys.
On the Patriots ranking Dineen states,
“The coach is an evil genius, they drafted one of the best quarterbacks ever in the sixth round, and the fans are never shy about boasting about it all. Only once since 2001 have the Patriots [won fewer] than 10 games, and that year — in 2002 — they won nine. Absurd. Four Super Bowl wins plus two more finals over the same period along with a host of different scandals means Pats fans can count themselves lucky, very lucky, that they’re only second-last on this list.”
Now it is a very fair argument to say the least, winning does breed jealousy and envy as the saying goes and 6 Super Bowl appearances with 10 AFC Championship games is not going to win over rivals or neutral fans.
However, it is interesting to note Patriots “lost out” on being “least liked” to a team that hasn’t won a playoff game or Super Bowl in over 15 years is rather surprising. Keer-Dineen put the Washington Redskins last on the basis of their naming controversy which has been an ongoing legal dispute. Team owner Dan Snyder also has had his share of discord with his fanbase.
From a Patriots point of view it says a lot about how the culture has changed in New England since Robert Kraft took over. At the end of the day, Patriots fans will likely continue to embrace rankings such as these because it means their team is still a Super Bowl contender.
Rankings 1-29 can be found here.
Ranking all 32 NFL teams by likability https://t.co/THBrkG2SIf
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 26, 2016
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