The unexpected nature of finding myself living in New England for many years has presented innumerable cultural experiences that I could never have experienced otherwise. Although it's not been quite three years for me in Maine, I have lived here for a total of three full NFL seasons. NFL, living in New England... can you sense where I'm headed with this one? You bettah believe that this post is about none less than the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS(groans from some, cheers from others). More specifically my time here amongst the Pats fans, thriving in their natural habitat, New England.
You see the past three NFL seasons have provided me the opportunity to witness the Patriots and their legion of local fans go through one Super Bowl loss, one Super Bowl win, and one season where the Patriots completely missed playing in the Super Bowl. All of this happening at the near end of what is the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick dynasty era of unparalleled success. This fact leaves me in the current position to also watch Patriots fans suffer immensely as Tom Brady becomes a free agent. So many beautiful facets to this story.
In the beginning, having lived here for only about five months, the entirety of the 2017-2018 NFL season, it all had come to an end and with a Patriots' loss to the Nick Foles led Eagles in Super Bowl LI. Coming down to the wire of a crazy game, New England walked away defeated, and stunned. Now, the fans' reaction wasn't so, um, professional. The crying, the excuses, the shit talking about referees or some other thing that was "unfair!". Mind you this is all coming from the fans of a team that has cheated. The somber, sorry slump that fans walked around with for one to three weeks post-loss. The feeling that life was so difficult to live because the Patriots missed out on the win. Not wanting to talk about it, and a general melancholy everywhere I went. Slightly pathetic, but overall not particularly annoying; I dealt with it fine. All the Patriots' fandom was super optimistic, if not out right in-your-face about the fact that the Pats would go back again in 2018-2019 season and win it all. And that's exactly what happened.
In a 2018-2019 season dominated by teams like New Orleans, Kansas City, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle, The Patriots were also strong, but not for sure favorites to take it all. Then the Patriots do what the Patriots do in the NFL Playoffs and just win, taking them back to play for Super Bowl LII battling this time with a much younger offensive thunderstorm in the LA Rams. The game was something of a defensive slugfest and it ended up as a snoozer, if you ask me. Low scoring and overall not exciting, but alas the Patriots were victors again where they are so comfortable being. Fans rejoiced. Patriots Nation was whole once more as Tom Brady delivered again as the messiah. Many fans weren't too loud mouthed about that particular victory due to its boring nature, but it was still a win. It happened to be an historic win as well, being the 6th victory
Our most recent NFL season was one that I followed more closely than any year prior, and also enjoyed more than any year prior. Of course as reigning champions the Patriots had just as good or better a chance to make it back to the big game as any team. After a decent start to the season the Patriots struggled towards the end and barely made the playoffs, where they lost in the first round. Not to summarize it too easily, I reveled in the glory of the Patriots' early playoff loss. Dancing around my living room I sang, "Ding dong the witch is dead, the witch is dead, the witch is dead!!!" I was PUMPED that after two years and two NFL seasons living in New England, I was finally going to get to watch a Super Bowl that the Patriots did not appear in! Many New England fans in this area acted as if football didn't exist after the Pats lost in the wild card playoff game. Various mourning clients at the shop would slump in the chair and say how they weren't watching any other playoffs. I'm like, damn, y'all are sorta weak, in fact not sorta. For a group of people so accustomed to extraordinary success, Patriots fans really, really don't know how to handle a loss. At all.
Playoffs and the Super Bowl did not disappoint and Kansas City took home the prize, the first Super Bowl appearance and subsequent win for their team in 50 years. Imagine that, Patriots fans! Fifty years with no Super Bowl appearance, let alone a championship! It's truly unfathomable to these New England fans, because they have literally in the past twenty years never had to imagine being too far removed from a Super Bowl championship. But that might change this season, if not for sure in the next few seasons.
You see, the best part of all of this is not only have I borne witness to a variety of Super Bowl experiences with Patriots' fandom, now I get to see them squirm while they await official decisions regarding Tom Brady's final years in the NFL. Will he stay in New England or will he go to another team and make a run for it in a whole different way?!?!?! That very thought is absolutely torturing those that love the Patriots and Tom Brady. They are LOSING IT, to put it lightly. Should Tom Brady decide to stay with the Patriots for the final years of his career, the collective sigh of relief from this region will have the potential to shift weather patterns. On the contrary, the sheer volume of tears that will be shed if Brady leaves for another team will probably make up for the lack of precipitation we've had this past winter. I sit back and take it all in. I truly don't know what Tom Brady will decide and I sort of don't care. I'm just so grateful that I have been here observing such a wide variety of experiences regarding the New England Patriots fan culture during a time of historic success. Witnessing the highs and lows of the Pats fans, and especially loving the discomfort brought upon them by the impending end of the Patriots dyansty. Suckahs.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
