I don’t always agree with Gregg Easterbrook, but I sure do here:
Argument for the New England Patriots as scoundrels in the service of that which is baleful: Dishonesty, cheating, arrogance, hubris, endless complaining even in success. The Patriots have three Super Bowl rings, but that jewelry is tarnished by their cheating scandal. They run up the score to humiliate opponents – more on that below – thus mocking sportsmanship. Their coach snaps and snarls in public, seeming to feel contempt for the American public that has brought him wealth and celebrity. Victory seems to give Bill Belichick no joy, and defeat throws him into fury. Belichick and the rest of the top of the Patriots’ organization continue to refuse to answer questions about what was in the cheating tapes – and generally, you refuse to answer questions if you have something to hide. The team has three Super Bowl triumphs, yet its players regularly whine about not being revered enough. The team’s star, Tom Brady, is a smirking sybarite who dates actresses and supermodels but whose public charity appearances are infrequent. That constant smirk on Brady’s face reminds one of Dick Cheney; people who smirk are fairly broadcasting the message, “I’m hiding something.” The Patriots seem especially creepy at this point because we still don’t know whether they have told the full truth about the cheating scandal – or even whether they really have stopped cheating. They say they have, but their word is not exactly gold at this juncture. Ladies and gentlemen, representing Evil, the New England Patriots.
Ahh, I enjoyed that paragraph. And I don’t think this whole villain theme is stuck with just the Pats. No, it already is shared by the Red Sox (who have taken a Yankee-like mentality with their lavish spending on free agents, and have arguably the most annoying fanbase on earth), and it may bleed over to the Celtics (The big trio, while all awesome, have their flaws. KG - one of the most intense players in the NBA, could fly off the handle at any point, Pierce - a serial moper, Ray Allen - never performed in big games, not a very good actor). The Bruins, well, they just suck (this phantom start will not last, I guarantee).
Could Boston house the major villains of sports? I cannot think of a time when a city housed villains in more than one sport, let alone three! The closest examples that come to mind are the Yankees and Knicks of the 90s (but honestly, who actually vilified the Knicks?), Pistons and Red Wings of the 80s (Hockeytown wasn’t that great in the 80s, so I don’t think this works), Philadelphia in general (nah, just because the fans are crazy doesn’t make all of their teams villains.
Nope, I think this is unprecedented. Boston may be on the verge of something we have yet to see. A triumvirate of villainy. An across the board notoriousness. All out impropriety.
1 Jason // Oct 23, 2007 at 04:23 PM
I simply cannot wait to see what Brendan has to say about this.
2 Mike W // Oct 23, 2007 at 05:13 PM
Oh man, Kissing Suzy Kolber just went above and beyond everything I wrote: http://kissmesuzy.blogspot.com/2007/10/ksk-guide-to-being-insufferable-hole-s.html
That’s beautiful.
3 Thomas // Oct 23, 2007 at 11:40 PM
I think this is the first time - at least that I can remember - when Mike took an offensive shot at Boston teams. Typically, Brendan takes the offensive shot at New York teams, and Mike defends.
It’s amazing how a turn of fate for Boston and New York has changed the attitudes…
4 Andrew // Oct 24, 2007 at 10:20 AM
I gotta say, I don’t agree with the Easterbrook quote above, and not just because i’m a Pats fan. I was outraged at the whole cheating scandal, but thought it was handled well by both the league and the team. I also believe that it should be put behind us fairly quickly, as it was well known that most teams had similar systems set up, and Roger Goodell had made it a point in the offseason to threaten all of the teams with big fines if they were caught doing it this year. I really just think that the Pats happened to be the first kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar, so they got slapped on the wrist. If someone else gets caught doing after the NFL already made an example out of NE, then they’re just retarded. The Pats aren’t still doing it…I really think they’re really just THAT good this year.
But, yeah, you’re right, Boston sports teams are all getting a bad name right now. No one likes Boston teams or fans in any sport (well, i don’t think the Bruin’s are AS hated, but I also don’t really follow the NHL), and it seems like a trend of reverse-yankee-hating has been sweeping the country. It’s now cool to despise the “former underdogs,” and bitch about how they’re just as bad, if now worse, than the Evil Empire in the Bronx.
A-ronn and I have actually been talking about this a lot recently, and were mentioning how we don’t remember any sports city being so hated in the past…even New York has always gotten by with 1 or 2 teams people don’t hate. I guess that’s what happens when you have 9 major sports teams in your area though…
5 Mike W // Oct 24, 2007 at 11:06 AM
I think the greater point to take out of this is that they cheated, and now they’re running up the score and acting all pissed off and affronted because people criticized them for it. Sounds a tad backwards to me.
I’m not downplaying their awesomeness. I watched a good chunk of that first half against Miami and was quite entertained. I also thoroughly enjoyed them beating the snot out of Dallas, but (remember, this is coming from a fanatical Giants fan) was taken aback when they scored that final touchdown and almost felt bad for Dallas. I felt similar towards the end of the first half against Miami when they were running the frickin’ hurry-up against an 0-7 team while already leading 35-7.
There’s something fucked up with this team.
6 Mike W // Oct 24, 2007 at 11:08 AM
“It’s amazing how a turn of fate for Boston and New York has changed the attitudes…”
It’s a natural reaction to attack those on top. I’m fully willing to admit that, but isn’t there something odd going on with the vehemence these teams bring out from fans across the country?