Steve Politi, a sports columnist for the Star-Ledger, has a big chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t like the New England Patriots and he thinks that no one else does either – unless, of course that “no one else” happens to live in New England. In fact, he hates the Patriots, and he seems to think that you should too! Why? Well . . . just because they are on a 15-game winning streak and, tonight, if they are lucky and skillful, they may shatter a host of individual and team football records.
Politi claims that tonight’s Patriots’ pre-game 15-0 winning record makes them a “perfect” team, that people “hate” other people whom they deem to be perfect; and, in a twisted form of logic seems to conclude, therefore, that you, too, should hate the Patriots.
Politi has dubbed the Patriots as “the most hated team in sports.” I’ve got news for him, the Red Sox Nation is ubiquitous, and it includes Pats fans. Oh, and did I forget to mention basketball’s Boston Celtics who, at this writing, just happen to be streaking along at a 24-3 win/loss clip?
Winning comes with training, patience, skill, luck, resources, and still more training. Every sports team goes through the same cyclical process. It takes years to establish a great winning club. That formula applies in every sphere of life. Some win, some lose. Sooner or later, everyone gets a dose of both.
Every sports fan knows that eventually the New England Patriots will lose. I just hope that it’s not tonight – nor in any of the playoff games leading to the Super Bowl. If they do, I’ll be very disappointed and downcast, replaying in my mind everything that they might have done to have established the best records ever to have been set in football. I’ve learned to do that very well with the Red Sox who, for a long time, had forgotten what it was like to win.
In my mind and in my heart-of-hearts, though, I know this: Americans love winners, and they like to see records broken. I don’t see where hate plays a position on any of America’s teams.
Note: Steve Politi’s column appeared on December 28 at http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/politi/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/11988201743620.xml&coll=1
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