A friend at work said, “It’s about time somebody puts the Patriots in their place!”
I responded, “You mean the Super Bowl?”
He didn’t think my response was as funny as I did. But it got me thinking – do we appreciate greatness? Particularly in sports, we’d like to think that we appreciate greatness, but do we really? I don’t think so.
We appreciate sporadic greatness in sports – a highlight play here or there – but when it comes to sustained greatness, there comes a point where we want to see great teams brought down. The Patriots, the Yankees, Tiger Woods – for the Division III football fans out there, Mount Union or UW Whitewater. Whenever dynasties have arisen in sports, the sustained success seems to be met with, “Yeah, yeah…we’ve seen this movie before.”
We want to be entertained – and it’s not entertaining if we already know the end.
Probably 10 or 11 years ago, I read a book called The Education of a Coach, by David Halberstram. Ever since, I have been a big fan of Bill Belichick, and as a result, often find myself in the increasingly unpopular position of rooting for the Patriots in the NFL Playoffs. I was always a big Peyton Manning fan, so I would always cheer for him, whether with the Colts or Broncos over the Patriots – but I’ve never been upset watching the Patriots extend their string of successes.
We are witnessing perhaps the greatest dynasty – the greatest coach/quarterback duo ever – the likes of which we may never see again. And the consensus belief is that we’ve seen enough.
Not only do we not appreciate greatness when we see it sustained, year after year, but there is so much vitriol toward it.
And thinking through it, I believe it comes from a combination of tribalism with a healthy serving of schadenfreude. If my team can’t experience that kind of success, then nobody should! I am very guilty of this next one – If I can’t have that experience as a fan, I sure as hell don’t want those fans to have it!
I can understand the vitriol toward the Patriots from the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills fans. I understand that feeling first-hand, as a life-long, long-suffering fan of the Minnesota Vikings. We truly are a cursed bunch. Our division rival, the ***** *** ******* (I can’t even type out the name of that wretched team) – has had two successive Hall of Fame level quarterbacks going back almost 30 years. The list of quarterbacks for the Vikings since 1992…ugh.
But I understand the vitriol. I hated Brett Favre until he went to the Jets, where I was indifferent about him. And then I loved it when he came here. There is not a single highlight from Aaron Rodgers that hasn’t made me cringe unless it is a highlight for the defense – a sack or interception. Two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, and I get irritated by seeing their success. How messed up is that?!?
So, I understand “hating” the division rivals. It’s natural.
But the consensus is that we’ve seen enough from the Patriots, and they need to be brought down a peg. Opening the 2017 season with a blowout loss at home against the Chiefs, I remember so many people cheering the demise of the Patriots. They went on to lose 3 more games all season, with the final loss being the Super Bowl.
Earlier this season, I saw an article ranking where the current NFL season stood for teams, compared to all seasons (at least since 1960). After 11 games, at 8-3, the Chicago Bears were having their 5th best season in 59 years. A top-5 season! At 8-3, the Patriots were having their 23rd best season. A top-5 season for some teams is somewhere between middle-of-the-road and disappointing for the Patriots. The Chargers and Texans were also 8-3, which were top-10 franchise seasons for each.
That kind of success is unbelievable. The Patriots went 12-4 and took the #2 seed, on their way to their 8th consecutive AFC Championship Game.
We are still witnessing one of the greatest sustained runs in the history of the NFL, which we will likely never see again. Enjoy it while it lasts. Something that has taken me a long time to understand is that the success of an athlete or team is a truly silly thing to get angry about…
Unless they’re playing against your team, in which case – screw those guys!