America: The New England Patriots of the World

In the game that many saw as the legitimate threat to end the New England Patriots’ winning streak, the Patriots dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in an impressive showing following to near-losses against mediocre teams. There is no doubt that the Patriots have become the new Raiders: reviled outside of their home crowd, dubbed cheaters, and generally despised for their success. My, how things change: it was just seven years ago that the Patriots were the loveable, working class underdogs, taking on the behemoth that was the St. Louis Rams. Led by rookie Tom Brady, an unlikely hero who supplanted long-time starter and former first overall pick in the NFL draft Drew Bledsoe, the 2001 Patriots were a rare feel-good story just a few short months after the horror of the September, 11th attacks.

It’s not surprising that fans would turn on the Patriots. Sure, people will try to point to "SpyGate" as the primary reason for the animosity against them, but the reality is, the videotaping incident simply gave people a good excuse to dislike a team they’ve been wanting to find a good reason to dislike for a long time. After all, the Denver Broncos were discovered to have been violating the Salary Cap during their two Super Bowl seasons, for which they were twice penalized, paying over $1.3 million in fines and losing a 3rd round draft pick in two separate drafts. The 49ers were guilty of similar shenanigans just two years removed from their 1995 Super Bowl. Nonetheless, neither team nor coach has had the level of vitriol directed at them as has been directed at the Patriots and Bill Bellichick. I have heard little about the 49ers Super Bowl being tainted, or asterisks on the Broncos accomplishments, though their punishments were comparable to that levied at the Patriots.

Lest anyone pull the old, "just because other teams cheat, it doesn’t mean the Patriots cheating was right!" line, I am not justifying the Patriots actions. They broke the rules, and were punished accordingly. I am illustrating, however, a general rule in the United States: we Americans like our underdogs, but we don’t like underdogs who turn into juggernauts, which is what the Patriots are. We like stories of people rising to greatness from modest beginnings – until those people become rich and powerful, at which point we grow tired of hearing about them, and even root for their downfall. It is telling that, in spite of the apparent animosity against the Patriots, their Monday night game last week against the Baltimore Ravens – the one they almost lost – was the most-watched television program in cable history. People can’t get enough of the Patriots, because they want to see the day they finally lose.

The irony about America and its newfound dislike for the Patriots is that America is the Patriots – to the rest of the world. We are the team that rose from modest beginnings to become the seemingly unbeatable powerhouse of the league. We are the team that many people hate, but can’t take their eyes off of, if only because they want to see us get beat. And we are the team that a lot of people might love, if not for the fact that we are so big and powerful, and aren’t afraid to show it, sometimes in ways that rub people the wrong way.

For better or worse, that’s America. We are the New England Patriots of the world. Yeah, we hate to admit it: it’s much more fun to root for the underdog, to watch the big guy go down and be a part of the team that beats the odds. But when the odds are in your favor? Suddenly the Patriots don’t seem quite so bad.