When/Why did you become a Patriots fan

[O.Z.O.]

at:

Well, for me it was easy. I grew up in Portland, so we were always Boston sports fans (lived and died with the Sox, Pats and Celtics...never a big hockey fan so I never got into the Bruins all the way).

Watching them start the '74 season 7-0, only to lose their last 7 was rough. Some of my favorite memories were the ass whuppin' they laid on Oakland in '76 (should of beat them again in the playoffs, that roughing call was beyond bogus), the first SB appearance (painful as it was...hey, who'd of thought the Bears would be one hit wonders?)...and of course, SBs 36, 38, and 39.

And, just case there are any doubts amongst the so-called 'experts', we're going back this year !

 

[IcyPatriot]

I started watchi9ng the Patriots 42 years ago when I was 5. My favorite sports team even when they sucked...always loved the Patriots.

Can't stand the complaining nature of some fans today. After suffering for many years with bad drafts and bad coaches I realize this is the best it ever will be. If we never win another SB I won't care...this ride has been great. I do think we have 2 more in us BTW.

2 years ago everyone was making a big deal of the cold and snow games. I was always amused by this because I said when I was a kid every game was a snow game. I live and grew up in Rhode Island and the TV signal always came from Boston.

Back then channel 10 NBC was aligned with channel 4. Not sure why but the games would be on 4 so there would be static on the TV for every game. I think they were on 36 and/or 56 for a time...channel 56 was actually better than channel 4 but channel 38 was the worst.

We saw very few if any home games because we never sold out. I never saw a home game on TV until they built Sullivan Stadium and they sold out a Monday night and the opener if i remember right.

When Bledsoe was drafted things got so much better for watching the home games. I never much liked bledsoe but he sold tickets and that put them on TV....thanks Drew...it's been great since you've left.

 

[anteater]

I became a Boston sports fan when we emigrated to Needham after the VN war in '75.

How could anyone not? Cetics were awesome. Pudge Fisk in the WS against the Reds - no, I had no clue what went on in baseball at that time, but could feel the electricity and the passion around me, even at 12 years old. Then there were the Big, Bad Bruins who my dad and I thoroughly enjoyed watching.

But what really got me was american football. You got to understand that to the rest of the world, football is soccer. So when I heard my sponsor said there was football on TV, I got excited. But it turned out it wasn't soccer but a bunch of big, really big guys trying to beat the crap out of each other. I thought this was great!

Unfortunately, after 1 New England winter and many back-breaking shoveling of the driveways, ... the folks decided to hightail it to So Cal. It was hard to follow the Pats then (but hey, I got to enjoy mocking the Lakers), still, I tried to catch any Pats games on TV, most notably against the Raiders or later against the Dolphins (because of Marino).

I was back in Beantown and got to go to a few games and witnessed all three SBs. Heck, even my wife delivered early so she could be home for SB XXXVIII. No, she wasn't induced, but I think my son sensed he better come out early. hehe.

It will be tough to follow the Pats again as I'm now relocating and working in Asia. I'd say "thank god for the internet", but their "cable" is only about 2x dial up here.

I won't be posting much, but I sure like what I read at the Planet. Great site.

 

[SamBam39]

I grew up in the Sixties and played PeeWee football so I was always a football fan. I remember watching the Giants on TV on Sundays because that was the game that was broadcast to the Boston market. I also followed the Packers because they were THE team of that era and there seemed to be a plethora of Packers related material that was available to read. (Yes we had to read back then, no internet,no cable,no ESPN.)

The beginning of my Patriots love happened in 1969. My parents had just divorced and I moved from Hanson, MA to Whitman,MA. I became best friends with a kid whose Dad had Pats season tickets. So he invited me to a pre-season game, it was 1969.

But the early game I remember was another pre-season game in 1970. I went to the Pats vs the Redskins at BC's Alumni Stadium. That was the game when the stands went up in flames. The game was stopped briefly and the fans were allowed on the field. I remember walking up to Sonny Jurgensen and Charley Taylor (we were on the Redskins side). I was in awe of real life professional football players!

That was it for me. I was hooked and became a life long Patriots fan. Later that same year I went to my first regular season game at Harvard Stadium. Pats vs the Vikes. Pats had recently acquired Joe Kapp from the Vikings. And I remember thinking how cool it was that the Pats had a QB who had just played in the Super Bowl! But, it didn't take long to realize why he was traded. Kapp was terrible for the Pats. The Pats Vikes game was in Dec and it had snowed the night before. Harvard Stadium had not been shoveled out around the seating areas. And of course, the Pats got killed by the Vikings. But the most entertaining part was throwing snow balls at the players. It was hysterical (at least to me).

And I stayed a fan through all the ridiculous years of ineptitude. The High School stadium. The Head Coaching carousel. The one and two win seasons. The wasted draft picks. The scandals. All of it didn't matter because I had sold my soul to Patriots football a long time ago. And of course we all know how the story ended. With a story book ending of course! The amazing Super Bowl win against the mighty Rams! Only the birth of my two children beat the exhilaration of that incredible victory.

And well, things are pretty good in Patriot Nation these days. We spend more time debating whether our QB or the guy from Indy is the best in the league. Whether the Pats are winning by big enough margins. Which team is better! Who will they pick with their 2 first round picks next year?

But for an old timer like me you never forget what it once was and hopefully will never be again. It's incredible that this team has now become a model for how to run a franchise. It used to be the worst franchise in the league.

And last weekend I took my two daughters to their first Patriots game (vs. the Jets). Yes it rained. Yes it was cold. And yes the Pats lost. But my girls had a great time and it only cemented for them their love of New Englands team. I think they also liked that guy named Brady!! But I might be wrong on that one!

So the circle of life continues. My girls are now hooked and will hopefully only know the joy that has become this Patriots franchise. Heck, they only had to live a few years to even see the Sox win it all!

But, I love the Pats.I will always root for them. I treat every win like a SB win! And I agonize over every loss. I don't know any other way to root for them.

And I love every minute of it!

 

[bruschi'smyhero]

I must say first ... I'm not that old to remember all that stuff ... I'm not old enough to really remember much (j/k ... it's an excuse for my lax years during high school were i really don't remember much)

I've been a New England Patriots Fan (sorry ... I really like saying the entire team name every now and then ... it just sounds like ... A DYNASTY !!!) ever since I was born ... but it took a long time to come to fruition

Bottomline, I followed the Pats back home (a little east of Worcester) but never to the fullest ... once I joined the military and traveled ... there isn't much to pull you close to home ... so that's how/why i'm a pats fan

 

[Wildfire86]

It started for me in 1974 at the age of 7. My Mom married my stepfather who had tix since Schaefer Stadium opened in 1971. We went to training camp in '74 at UMass and I carried Stingley's pads to the dorm. They were bigger than I was! That year Dad took me to the NYG/Pats preseason game. So many drunks...LOL! We became regulars at Training camp each year and as I grew older I started to go to all the games. Section3, row 25, seats 25-30.

Proud member of Mosi's Mooses!

 

[easycome_easygo]

I'm not a Patriots fan. I'm a fan of the Patriots fans.

 

[TITAN126]

I have been a Patriots fan my whole life, and it's going to stay that way. My Dad is a huge Patriots fan, so I guess it just kinda rubbed off on me.

 

[bencoateshelmet]

Was a Pats fan in passing since the mid 80's (SB XX ) but took a greater interest in the early 90's when Ben Coates and Curtis Martin were on the team.

 

[Tigger]

Was a Pats fan in passing since the mid 80's (SB XX ) but took a greater interest in the early 90's when Ben Coates and Curtis Martin were on the team.

Have you ever posted on COYS or other "soccer" boards?

 

[mooseontheloose]

Welp, being from Canada I really wasn't interested in football at a young age as hockey has always been the main sport in my life. Until 2000 I lived out West and the only games I usually found on local stations were of the Redskins which bored me to tears so even though I followed the NFL and always caught the highlights, I wasn't a devout follower by any means.

In 2000 I moved out East and immediately found both Buffalo and New England games on local stations. I eventually began to watch these regularily and by the middle of that season I was hooked on the Pats and watched the Bills only to cheer on a loss

It just so happens that 2000 was the year Belichick took over and the following year was the first of their dynasty. In a way I wish I had been a bigger fan of the game and the team prior to my moving out East as it's sad to have missed out on some of the team's history since my birth. However, I am now a proud Pats fan and have undyingly supported the team since my move. Since 2000 I've missed maybe 3-5 games, and only because I wasn't able to get a feed on TV or the radio.

At times it's rough as people most often associate Patriots' fans, at least here in Canada, with a team like the Yankees. They call you "bandwagon jumpers" and such for cheering for a strong team. Regardless, I'm not the kind of person to choose a strong team and drop them the second they look weak. I've been cheering for the Patriots for over six years now and that would not have changed if they'd posted 3-13 seasons every year since 2000.

This being my first post, and I think being an appropriate place to make it, I'd like to say hello to all fellow Pats fans on this forum

 

[Worzel]

Hello!

It seems to be the trend to make your first post in this section, so here I am!

I'm a Pats fan from Manchester, England, and have been a fan since I bought Madden NFL on the Sega MegaDrive (Genisis) back in the 1990's. Only really started following the game closely the last 3 years or so.

I wish there was an interesting story as to why I chose the Pats, but it is as simply because the team has England in the name! ( I was only 10, bless me!)

Anyway, over the last couple of years, I've been trying to learn more and more about the game, and hope to learn more about the ins-and-outs of the sport from this Forum.

Nice to see a good win over the Jets last night! Can't wait to get home today and watch the game back. Look out Chargers! atriots:

 

[mikiemo83]

Worzel, good team to learn the game by watching, Pats are a Team orientated team, so you learn the proper way the game should be built, played and maintained.

Welcome aboard

 

[TrueBeliever]

I wish there was an interesting story as to why I chose the Pats, but it is as simply because the team has England in the name! ( I was only 10, bless me!)

So were you a fan of the England Monarchs?

 

[johnJoseph]

I first became a patriots fan just recently. I think it was week 3 or something like that when they faced the broncos and I started watching patriot games. That and also my friends were on a junior high football team and I would play football everyday at the park near my house after school. And now I watch any football games possible on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and thursday. I watch NFL Network all day long.....even if I've already watched the same NFL Gameday four times. And I watch NFL Replay too much. So now I love football.

 

[Tully]

This is my first post ... I've been reading the forum all week and I think it's fantastic. When I saw Payton Manning morphed into Brahmanning I was blown away ... that's in the Karma thread, which is a brilliant concept.

I became a fan in 1978 when I was a freshman at Bryant College ... I was devastated by the Red Sox and happened into the bar on campus and got caught up in the enthusiasm for the Patriots. Nobody took them seriously out in Western Mass where I lived ... everyone was either a Bills fan or a Jets fan or something ... (we have a lot of Yankee fans too.) In Rhode Island they loved the Pats ... there were always busses going to the games and you just had to give them a few bucks, catch the bus in Cranston, and they sat you in the end zone next to the handicapped section. My first game we beat the Jets and the handicapped section starting banging on their wheelchairs making a magnificent noise! When I saw that I knew that being a Pats fan was something good ... but I never dreamed back then that it could ever be like this.

I ended up going into the Army in 1980 and lost track of the Patriots until I ETSed in 1984. I couldn't believe that the Patriots were actually playing football in the same class as the great teams ... when they went to Miami and won, I was stupid happy, running around the streets to Amherst like an idiot. What a great day! The first of many.

 

[MattsPats]

I was born in Boston and lived in Braintree with my parents until I was 3 at which point we moved to California (East Bay of San Francisco). My Dad grew up in Worcester/Shrewsbury and my Mom was born in Brooklyn, grew up in NJ but went to school at BU so she has always had a special connection to Boston (she lived in the dorms that faced Nickerson field BTW). I now live near Los Angeles.

Growing up (about the same time as TB - he is 3/4 years younger than me and grew up on the other side of the SF Bay) I was a 49ers fan - not a hard thing to be when Montana was QB. Technically I was actually closer to Oakland, but was never one for the whole Raiders image. I was an A's fan though. I was never an athlete and still don't thoroughly understand all the ins and outs of the games but really love watching the games and feel passionate about the team.

Interestingly, there is an exclusive gated area in the town I grew up in where many athletes live (Madden bought two houses there - one for him and one for his son and surrounded them both with one fence). Jose Canseco was another famous (now infamous?!) resident; his then-wife Esther was always getting into trouble at one of the high end gyms for sunbathing nude at the pool and other related antics (sorry no pics!). I can remember some Father/Son dinners at my elementary school where Ronnie Lott came one year and Dwight Clark came another (I think Roger Craig came one year too, but am not sure).

I vaguely remember watching the Bears/Pats Super Bowl, but I have clearer memories of the 9ers games. I really got into the Pats when they made their way to Super Bowl XXXVI. I remember watching it at the house of a friend who was die hard Rams fan, and something about the experience turned on my inner fan. When I got my HD TV a couple years ago my interest in the Pats (and watching other football games) was further cemented and, despite only having cable and being subjected to the random schedules of the major networks, I watch every game I can. I also now work with a woman from Weymouth and we compare notes every Monday. I am not much into other sports, but something about the Patriots lights me up.

I feel a sense of connection to them considering I was born in Boston, but also really respect the earnest and sincere way they work for every yard and, even without huge superstar players, always seem to make impressive plays. I also feel some kinship with TB seeing as we grew up near each other rooting for the same football team. More recently, as a doctoral student in organizational leadership, I am thoroughly impressed with how the entire organization operates (reading James Lavin's book now) - even though they are totally classless of couse ROFL. So while I came a little late to the party I am here to stay.

 

[dasche]

Basically I have been following the Pats
since the beginning - 1960
I still remember how disappointed I was with the end result of that first Championship game against San Diego.
First season I went to two or three games
at different stadiums in Boston.
For me its been a (going on) 50 year
relationship, and I look forward to another
Super Bowl Game this year. !

 

[#1Patsfan_chica]

I've been in PP for a couple of years and yet never posted in this thread. I became a fan of the Patriots at the end of the '99 Red Sox season.

Before 1999, I used to hate sports but I went to my first Fenway Park game and fell in love with it and enjoyed the '99 Red Sox season even though I was destated with the results.

During the Red Sox off-season, I was bored so I started to watch the Celtics, Bruins, BC sports, and of course Patriots. I've hardly missed any games in the last couple of years and learned a lot.

I'm a huge fan and can get into a lot of arguments over my favorite teams but I love every minute of being a fan of the Boston sports teams.

 

[Patriots4ever]

I have been a Patriots fan my entire life (31 years). It's the only sports team around that I really, truly care about. Patriots football is my passion. I love watching them, talking about them, following them, seeing them live, buying merchandise anything Patriots, watching old highlights, and of course Gillette Stadium. I have attended numerous games with my father over the years and we usually go to 1 road game per season as well.

I have Patriots socks, boxer shorts, drink sleeves (cozie), throw blankets, night lights, shirts of players, T-shirts, sweat shirts, pillows, car seats, dozens of bumper stickers on my car, DVDs, posters, memorabilia, a Patriots football, mousepad, and I even have a 3-numbered Patriots license plate. Did I mention the 50+ Patriots hats that I own?

It's in my blood, and I will instill this into my new born son, just as my father did to me. I am a Patriots junkie! atriots: atriots: atriots: at: at: at:

I am more partial to the old retro Pat the Patriot, and have many items with that logo, but we did appear in 4 SBs and won 3 with the new Elvii look.

There typically isn't a day that goes by where I don't wear something Patriots.

The night light on top I got for X-MAS. The one on the bottom I have had since I was 5 years old (25 yrs ago) and it still works great.