The struggle of being a Patriots fan in 2021

I’m probably going to get some backlash for this one …

If you’re unlike me, you keep up with football. Truthfully, I’m writing this article solely for the purpose of angering any New Englanders reading this. On Sunday, Oct. 3, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers narrowly defeated the New England Patriots 19-17. Now, to any non-football fan, this just sounds like any old football game. However, you do not need to know about football to know who Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady is, and rightfully so. Brady has carved out a legendary career for himself, claiming seven Super Bowl victories, despite some controversies over the years – *cough* deflategate *cough*. Six of those seven wins were with the New England Patriots, and the seventh was with Tampa Bay this past year.

This is where things will potentially become volatile. On one side, you have the Tom Brady fanboys stuck in the past claiming, “Tom Brady’s still a Patriot!” These same people will wear half-Patriots, half-Buccaneers jerseys in support of their favorite quarterback. On the other hand, you have the hardcore Patriots fans who think of Tom Brady as a traitor. This became even more apparent when Tom Brady showed his former team what they were missing out on. Both these groups have their justifications, but it’s no less divisive amongst the fanbase. 

Personally, I don’t care much for Tom Brady, but I have a lot of friends from New England, and as a Green Bay Packers fan, I try to never miss an opportunity to make fun of the Patriots for losing their biggest player. Say what you will about Green Bay, but we still have Aaron Rodgers and his awful new hairstyle.

Of course, none of this takes away from the division I mentioned earlier. Seeing a fanbase so divided is actually very entertaining! Only time will tell where fans’ true loyalties lie, either with Tom Brady himself or with the New England Patriots.

By Evan Majors