The Foul-Weather Fan

I have a confession to make.

I don’t think I’m a Pats fan.

And no, I didn’t come to that conclusion after they lost the Superbowl. It wasn’t even after Spygate (come on, they can’t be the only team who’s cheated). Actually, it was more like once they started winning a lot, and winning with ridiculously high scores. It would have been one thing if we’d always been the underdog and just started to have a great season this year, but instead, we’re a Dynasty. It’s gotten to the point where it’s impossible to talk about the Patriots without saying the D-word. Honestly, by now I think being a Pats fan is kind of like being a Yankees fan.

Yeah, I went there. (When I shared that thought with my mom, she said, “Be careful who you say that to!” as if I’d said something really offensive.) But really. We’ve won three Superbowls in the last seven years. Why is losing one so devastating? I was reading in the Globe today about how Pats fans are “crushed” and “devastated” and “depressed” about the loss. I even heard someone ask whether this or Aaron Boone was worse. And in my mind, those things don’t even compare. When Aaron Boone hit that home run, our dreams of ending an 85-year dry spell evaporated. (Only for a year, but we didn’t know that at the time.) When we lost the other night…well, we realized we’d have to make do with an 18-1 season instead of 19-0 and three Superbowl titles instead of four. It kind of makes us sound like the high school cheerleading captain who was dating the quarterback and was elected prom queen and got into her top choice college, but then got upset because her best friend wore the same color prom dress. And I’m finding it harder and harder to like Tom Brady. It’s hard to like a guy who’s dating a supermodel, no matter how attractive he is—especially when his situation with Bridget Moynahan and the baby is so sketchy.

Maybe I’m just used to being a Sox fan and rooting for the underdog. Or maybe it has to do with rooting for BC. Another reason I didn’t watch the Pats much this year was because I was busy watching BC football. BC had such a great year, and, like the Pats, blew it in the end. But it was easy to root for a team with so much promise, hoping to reach heights it hadn’t climbed to since Doug Flutie, led by the awesome Matt Ryan, the first guy in a long time to be compared to Doug Flutie.

Would I have been more interested in the Patriots if they’d lost a few games this season? I don’t know. But I do know that on Sunday, while I was rooting for the Patriots in between the commercials I devoted my full attention to, I found myself thinking things like, “Wow, wouldn’t it be an interesting twist if they lost after all this?” and “Well, if we lost the game, it would solve that parade issue.”

So I guess you can call me a foul-weather fan.

2 thoughts on “The Foul-Weather Fan

  1. Mars

    Hahaha.. you sound like my ex– he said that if the Chicago Cubs ever started winning, he’d lose his love of them, because numerous wins= dynasty= boring. Now I know thers share his opinion! Thanks for the chuckle!

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  2. goodinblue

    Brilliant. As someone who doesn’t care about sports at all, the Pats losing didn’t bother me one bit. But this blog makes me agree with you – rooting for a team is more interesting when there’s a risk involved. It’s why Superman comics get boring – who can beat Superman? It’s more interesting when you’ve got a guy who’s only powers are that he’s got wings fighting a really dangerous villain, because you don’t know if he’ll win. That’s what makes it fun. So I’m with you on this one. Thanks for the laugh!

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