Football and Fanbases

Patriot Nation Needs To Just Stop

You had to know that this would happen one day.

I understand this article may bring a fair amount of hate from Patriot Nation, but sometimes you have to take one for the team.

Disclaimer: I am a Buffalo Bills fan, so consider this when listening to my opinion. As a Bills fan (or just about any football fan since Tom Brady came into the league), I have had the joy of watching the Pats win 6 Superbowls and appear to be an unstoppable team. They are a team that was a true dynasty. The issue is the word, was.

How did Patriot Nation not know that one day they would not be the best team in the league forever? I understand; even as Brady aged, his game was still amazing. For many football fans who did not have Brady as their quarterback, it could seem like he was not human at all. He gets older but still plays like a superstar.

As a Buffalo Bills fan, even I can give Brady all the credit in the world. He is one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks of all time. But Brady is not a patriot anymore. It still seems like Patriot Nation thinks they are still the same team they were before. Granted, not all Pats fans are the same. However, there are some that are just as insufferable today, the day after their loss to the Bills, that they were during their championship runs.

I saw countless Pats fans on Twitter complaining that they did not lose the game to the Bills but to the refs (or the zebras as they so lovingly call them). This is a perfect example of why many fans in the league can not stand Patriots fans. Let’s be clear here, I said the fans, not the team. The team is full of players living out their dream after years of hard work and sacrifice. I respect the players; the fans, on the other hand, are insufferable. I apologize for using the same descriptive word twice, but it is the best word to describe them.

I have two immediate thoughts when these fans complain that they lost the game to the refs and not the Bills.

1 — This is the same disrespect they give all other teams in the league, and it is unacceptable. There can be no one better than the Patriots. Even if, for some reason, you do not believe any team is really better than them, apparently, they do not even believe in “Any Given Sunday.” Let me be clear, I think that the Bills are better than the Patriots, and most football fans also think this is true.

I am talking about today before the Pats fans start talking about past Superbowls. This year. We have all acknowledged your great dynasty of the past; it is time to move forward and rebuild instead of being unwilling to give anyone else the credit they deserve. This is precisely what saying we lost to the refs is doing.

2 — Really, a Patriots fan, or scores of them, are really complaining about the refs? I really wonder if these fans understand how rich and ridiculous this is. Besides all of their championships, this team has also been the center of cheating allegations and controversies on more than one occasion. Besides that, anyone who ever watched any Patriot football with Brady as the leader would notice how many times it seemed like the refs let the Pats and Brady get away with infractions. They would also get flags thrown in their favor for soft infractions.

So, how in the hell can they really cry now? First of all, it is ridiculous. But come on, of all the fan bases in football to complain about the refs, really? Perhaps they have become so used to getting favorable calls and having an outstanding, seemingly unstoppable teams. They just really do not know what it’s like when your team is good, but not great, and sometimes the calls are against your team. If that is the case, it is time to learn. Are the refs also the reason that The Bills did not need to punt the ball once in the game or the fact that Allen did not get sacked in this game? What about the fact that the Pats also had no forced fumbles or interceptions?

It is time to accept that the Bills are a good team, and the Patriots are no longer the best in the league. If you can not do those things, learn some good sportsmanship. Accept a bad game for what it is. Accept losing with dignity and grace.

This is not a one-time observation. The inability of this fan base (not all, but many) to be respectful to anyone else has going on for years. I have heard fans and sports writers and personalities from that area not just talking about how good their team has, but referring to the other teams not only as lesser but not even real football teams. I understand loving your team, but why does that include disrespecting everyone else. I guess we really have forgotten that the word fan is short for fanatic, and sometimes, it shows.

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