OT: Patriots

[mauconnfan]

You are absolutely mis-remembering the start of the bandwagon for both teams, Mau. The Patriots bandwagon got rolling in the early 90s when Kraft bought the team and brought in Bill Parcells, who then drafted Drew Bledsoe. The modern Red Sox bandwagon started in the surprise 1995 season and really got rolling in 1997, Nomar's rookie year. It became a steamroller in 1998, with the arrival of Pedro, who then teamed up with Mo Vaughn and Nomar as the last Sox great hope (Vaughn signed with Anaheim before 1999).

As far as the merchandise boom? Both teams rise in popularity not only coincided with new ownership and marketing departments, but also the Internet. No longer was someone relegated to the local team. I got my first summer office job after my Sophomore at UConn (1997). That was the year Alvin Harper was rumored going to (and ultimately wound up in) Washington Burgundy and Gold. I asked someone on a very antiquated ESPNzone.com message board. I asked someone how they knew Harper was D.C. bound and the told me to go to the Washington Post's World Wide Web site. I've had it bookmarked for the passed 18 years for Redskins news.

That all said, it's hard to believe you missed the increase in obnoxious Yankee fans during the same time frame.

No I'm not 25. The Bledsoe days were hardly fandom in comparison to the last 12 or so not close. I think many of the real fans woke up then and the bandwagon was rolling along as it was picking up fans on the way no doubt then, but by early 2000's both football and baseball were in full swing, able to call themselves a Nation. Hey people like winning and it deserves to grow, it does I get that. But the dopes who know nothing about either game and didn't watch until then now know everything as they get their morning coffee or by the water cooler, it's really awful. Yankee fans I am sure are obnoxious too as all teams have them, but hardly a bandwagon when you know they started winning in the 70's again for the "new" group of fans in may age group which is old. In WesMass there are plenty of people that I have met that admit to being a Giants fan for years because they were always on TV but now like the Pats because they're good now. Is there anything wrong with that - no - but it is a bandwagon fan nonetheless.

Hey we all have them no denying that but the onslaught up here has been amazing. Good news for you guys is that's means they're winning and a lot.

 

[mauconnfan]

A million bucks and a first rounder for what all but the most delusional (read: you and the other Giants fans in this thread) recognize for what it was: an epic display of Goodell's incompetence. You sound silly.

Incidentally, if we're trading completely worthless anecdotal information, I work with a Jets fan who likes Brady, so there.

Is she hot?

 

[mauconnfan]

Which guys on the current Patriots are so unlikeable to you? Please, name them.

Buying jersey's is a good measure? I mean do you think kids everywhere are buying Tom Brady jerseys or Odell Beckham? Sure there's a few but what you have is all of New England buying Brady shirts and all NY Giant fans buying a lot of# 13's. Hardly anything to go by on how much everyone in the world loves the man.

 

[mauconnfan]

Seriously, enough about football for me good luck to all of you Pats fans I mean it you're all good Husky fans too. You have a card in the game and I am out of the hold'em deal for good this year so I should and will just STFU. Enjoy the playoffs, I will not.

 

[upstater]

And the spying/filming and disguising staff in nfl films garb is science too?

Say wha? First I've heard of disguising. What the hell is that all about?

By the way, a recent article came out on how teams stole the Patriots signals from LEGAL sideline tape.

In essence, you're arguing the Patriots were bad for filming from the sidelines instead of the boxes. It's totally stupid.

 

[upstater]

Pats lose, blame the refs or the NFL for conspiring against them.

It is what they do, they are a miserable bunch.

You guys are just braindead.

In a thread of no excuses, you guys are whining and crying.

 

[upstater]

I mainly just like messing with upstater in these threads because he seems like an incredible whiner when it comes to the Patriots and he seems borderline stalker when it comes to all things Brady. Patriots don't have anywhere near the history of the Yankess so had to chime in on that and I have no problem comparing Belichick and Calhoun as coaches, I just think any comparison of them as people/personalities is way off. Not even sure if the poster was trying to compare them as people but I've seen it done here before.

LOL, on the Yankees and Patriots comparison. That is so dumb for any number of reasons, but mainly because the Patriots didn't even exist 55 years ago. And secondly, SALARY CAP. The Yankees just bought their world series wins.

 

[upstater]

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/13533995/split-nfl-new-england-patriots-apart

There's a million things that contradict in that article. It's the Oliver Stone JFK thing for sports. No proof, just allegations by crazies, easily disprovable. Gotta love the Rams crying about walkthroughs when by their own admission, the walkthroughs were only of offensive red zone plays. Times in the red zone for Rams? 2. TDs scored? 2. Not to mention the New York Times article of the NFL security people trying to track down a guy caught spying on the Patriots Super Bowl practices.

 

[upstater]

I'm a Celtic fan from Connecticut so I am a Yankee, Giants, Rangers and the C's. I didn't pick a town my family picked some teams and I followed. I like both cities in their own way and like Fenway a ton better than Yankee Stadium. I used to respect the Sox as much as the Yanks when I grew up in CT because we had the usual banter but all of my friends were split. It was the same throughout growing up and then I moved to WesMass in 1990 married to a Red Sox and Pats fan who really didn't care much because both weren't winning anything. Then came the early 2000's and the hit the fan and you went from people wearing whatever to everyone having a B or a Patriot on their hats, shirts, jackets, golf bags, head covers etc etc. Nothing much at all prior to then - you figure it out from there! It may not be you or upstater at all, but the bandwagon Nation grew in a crazy way and all of a sudden everyone knew it all about these teams. The dislike did not grow to these depths at all until about 11-12 years ago. I was honestly rooting for the Pats during the early years as they became what they are now. But with success came really obnoxious fans form the woodwork. I say it all the time because it's true and I lived and and live it. And you can see much of it here too!

Bandwagon fans are predictable when teams win. When I wear a UConn sweatshirt, people from Buffalo acknowledge it. If UConn hadn't won those championships and established some street cred, it would mean nothing to most people.I'd be like the guy with the Seton Hall sweatshirt, or worse, UMass.

 

[upstater]

Top 20 most hated NFL players 2015. Guess who is Number 1?

Hated for winning.

Seriously, outside of football, to my knowledge, the guy has not done anything bad. Aaron Rodgers is the only other star QB I can think of who has avoided the pitfalls outside the game. Brady is also notorious for plain bland press conferences, so he hasn't said anything to rile people up either. Can't think what the guy has done wrong other than win.

 

[Husky25]

The Red Sox bandwagon was in full swing far before the early 2000s. The Pats bandwagon was as well. Maybe you didn't notice it because they won a down AFC in 1996, Parcells pulled a Randy Edsall 14 years before Edsall, and Bledsoe started to ebb during the Carroll years, but it was there.

Oh and you can't attribute "new" 90's Yankee fandom to their success in the 1970's. The Yankees had some Gawdawful years between 1981 and 1995. 14 years covers a lot of childhoods.

 

[intlzncster]

Top 20 most hated NFL players 2015. Guess who is Number 1?

So some guy who writes for 'thesportster', named, I kid you not, Gonzo Green compiles his own most hated list....and that is supposed to mean something? C'moooon man.

And I'd be absolutely unsurprised that Tom would be on a most hated list too. Great players are the most polarizing: idolized for winning, and hated because of jealousy and being beaten all the time. That's what happens when your the best.

 

[8893]

Aaron Rodgers is the only other star QB I can think of who has avoided the pitfalls outside the game.

What about Eli? Or do you not consider him a star QB?

 

[auggie22]

Top 20 most hated NFL players 2015. Guess who is Number 1?

This was a sarcastic reply, along with sarcastic likes - right?

 

[upstater]

What about Eli? Or do you not consider him a star QB?

I'm just following the lead of Giants fans on my Facebook on that one.

 

[8893]

How do you measure overall popularity? One of the best ways is jersey sales(@NFLshop.com).


Another source (via NFLPA): Top 50 NFL Player Sales for March 1, 2015 - May 31, 2015


More insight on that list: http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybr...-sees-new-england-patriots-qb-tom-brady-at-1/

Start of the Season? Brady again: http://www.cheatsheet.com/sports/nfl-the-5-top-selling-player-jerseys-through-week-2.html/?a=viewall


Dicks Sporting goods nationally? Tom again: http://www.dsg.com/jerseyreport/football?

So where are your metrics, outside of a few anecdotes and bunch of online nutjob commenters at ESPN? I'll be happy to check them out.

So some guy who writes for 'thesportster', named, I kid you not, Gonzo Green compiles his own most hated list....and that is supposed to mean something? C'moooon man.

And I'd be absolutely unsurprised that Tom would be on a most hated list too. Great players are the most polarizing: idolized for winning, and hated because of jealousy and being beaten all the time. That's what happens when your the best.

So some guy who posts on the Boneyard message board named, I kid you not, "intlzncster," thinks that NFL official jersey sales dictate player popularity...and that is supposed to mean something? C'moooon man. So in your world player popularity is determined by the teenagers, women and losers who wear official player jerseys?

Next you'll be telling me Facebook "likes" are the answer.

Great stuff.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Anyone who doubts that UConn encompasses both Boston and New York markets, just needs to read this thread...

 

[8893]

I'm just following the lead of Giants fans on my Facebook on that one.

Now I know you're lying. You don't follow anyone's lead.

I guess that's reason number 672,345 that I'm glad on not on FB though. Lost in the crapper that was this Giants season was the fact that Eli actually had a very good season, again. He's the last one any Giants fan should be blaming. He's not the best in the league, but I'll take him, gladly. I just hope he gets the support he deserves while he's still got some more good years in him.

 

[upstater]

Now I know you're lying. You don't follow anyone's lead.

I guess that's reason number 672,345 that I'm glad on not on FB though. Lost in the crapper that was this Giants season was the fact that Eli actually had a very good season, again. He's the last one any Giants fan should be blaming. He's not the best in the league, but I'll take him, gladly. I just hope he gets the support he deserves while he's still got some more good years in him.

I guess I should give the names and addresses of Giants fans to you.

Star QB? Uh, Ok.

 

[intlzncster]

So some guy who posts on the Boneyard message board named, I kid you not, "intlzncster," thinks that NFL official jersey sales dictate player popularity...and that is supposed to mean something? C'moooon man. So in your world player popularity is determined by the teenagers, women and losers who wear official player jerseys?

Next you'll be telling me Facebook "likes" are the answer.

Great stuff.

Again, do you have a better metric? At least I'm bringing things that are quantifiable to the table. The most any of you have said is, "no way man. that's not true". That's elementary school stuff.

If you want non quantifiable anecdotes, I know of personally (having a good number of friends in both) two very large Pats and Brady fanbases in both Australia and Brazil. That obviously has to do with WINNING. What does it mean? Nothing.

 

[August_West]

Even funnier, for @August_West, the Jets don't have any fans.

Well at least no one can accuse us of being bandwagon jumpers . We haven't had a wagon since 1969

It will make it all the sweeter when we go in to foxboro and win the AFC title.

 

[intlzncster]

It will make it all the sweeter when we go in to foxboro and win the AFC title.

I don't think I'd be able to recover from that. Seriously. I know that probably sounds nauseating given all the Superbowls the Pats have played in, but I just don't think I could stand it.

 

[intlzncster]

Anyone who doubts that UConn encompasses both Boston and New York markets, just needs to read this thread...

Post of the thread. Send this thread to Jim Delany stat.

 

[intlzncster]

Now I know you're lying. You don't follow anyone's lead.

I guess that's reason number 672,345 that I'm glad on not on FB though. Lost in the crapper that was this Giants season was the fact that Eli actually had a very good season, again. He's the last one any Giants fan should be blaming. He's not the best in the league, but I'll take him, gladly. I just hope he gets the support he deserves while he's still got some more good years in him.

People who don't think Eli is good are idiots. He may not be Top 5, but he's good. And frankly, I wouldn't take his brother over him in the Playoffs.

 

[mauconnfan]

Hated for winning.

Seriously, outside of football, to my knowledge, the guy has not done anything bad. Aaron Rodgers is the only other star QB I can think of who has avoided the pitfalls outside the game. Brady is also notorious for plain bland press conferences, so he hasn't said anything to rile people up either. Can't think what the guy has done wrong other than win.

Eli and Peyton?

Damn I was going to stay away, darn it