Even if your team doesn’t make it to the finals, you can still be sure you’ll be invested in the Super Bowl, and that’s because nearly everyone wants to see the New England Patriots lose. The dominant team of their generation has riled up the opposition like no one else in the NFL, and much of the jubilation surrounding the Eagles’ win was that it was a the latest New England Patriots’ loss. Is it just envy that drives this hate, or has the Brady Bunch brought this on themselves?
They win. A lot.
The New England Patriots are second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers run before the 1980s holding the record for six wins at the Super Bowl. Along the way, they’ve left a lot of bitterly disappointed opposition supporters in their wake, so some resentment seems inevitable. Having scored the trophy in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015 and 2017, it’s no wonder they’ve generate so much animosity in the recent collective memory of NFL fans.
Tom Brady: the QB You Love to Hate
Along with the coach, Brady is the man indelibly associated with taking the Patriots to dominance. Although there are no other shortage of reasons to dislike the guy if you’re so inclined: he’s good looking, with a Kennedy-esque smile; he’s married to a supermodel, he’s probably the richest man in the NFL today and he’s got a supermodel wife, which are all understandable, if petty, reasons to hate New England Patriots some more. Aside from envy, though, there’s something about the way Brady carries himself as the face of the sport, shilling a clean cut All American boy scout image, that belies the litany of sporting controversies and accusations of foul play that follow in his side’s wake.
Down with the Donald
Trump has been on friendly terms with owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick for sometime, which was a lot easier to stomach till he ascended to one of the most controversial and toxic presidencies in history. Trump publicly flaunted his ties to the New England Patriots during his election campaign, and warmly welcomed them into the White House during his tenure, an offer that every other team has declined, on what it’s fair to assume are grounds of conscience. During the visit, Kraft even gifted his old friend his commemorative Super Bowl ring.
Dirty Tactics
The so-called “Deflategate” controversy is only the catchiest in a long line of accusations of foul play and unsportsmanlike scheming that has dogged the current era of this franchise. Brady was suspended for the first four games of 2016 after it was discovered he had deflated the balls in a playoff match in 2015 to make them easier to throw and receive. In addition, the team has been accused of filming the training sessions of opponents (illegally) and doing the same thing for the opposition’s coded signals that they use to run plays, the better for New England Patriots could predict their actions on the field.
Belichick’s Winning Personality
No matter how many times his side raises the Vince Lombardi Trophy, it never seems to put a skip in head coach Bill Belichick’s step. He was inevitably going to be a target of resentment for masterminding the Patriots’ rise to the top. However, he’s also widely acknowledged to be the brains behind the clandestine espionage tactics illegally employed against rival teams, which no amount of football smarts and betting tips is ever going to excuse.
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