New England Patriots: Why America hates Bill Belichick and company

WIth a name like the New England Patriots, they should be America’s team, but instead, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have turned them into enemies of the state.

Bring up the New England Patriots outside of the states making up that area of the country, and you’ll get an almost universal reaction…

“Ugh. I hate those guys!” (or something much more colorful).

Remember back in 1986, when the Patriots faced the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX? America wanted the Pats to win that game. They openly pulled for New England to take down that cocky Jim McMahon and awful Mike Ditka.

What happened to those days? Why have the Patriots become such a pariah of NFL fandoms nationwide?

Maybe it was the uniform change.

Nah, that’s too simple.

Make no mistake, this is a hatred which goes way beyond the team being so good for so long. There have been many sports dynasties which didn’t trigger the vitriolic response caused by the Pats.

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were atop the NBA for a long time. Fans just marveled at MJ and his exploits. Wayne Gretzky ruled the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, and yet no one was ready to treat that team like a pack of Vermicious Knids.

Even the New York Yankees, who were about as well-loved as the Lannisters during their multiple championship runs, never seemed to draw the type of anger and mob mentality that comes with the mention of the New England Patriots being an NFL dynasty.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

If there was ever going to be proof offered of how much America dislikes Tom Brady and his cohorts, it was this year.

The Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles – a team from a city whose fans have been mocked and called unruly animals for decades – and practically ALL of America is pulling for the Eagles with an “anyone but the Patriots again” rally cry.

But why is it that way? Why would a team who heralds from an area of our country which is steeped in patriotism, and where the struggle for independence from British rule essentially began, be so despised?

You can point to any number of reasons; the head coach who has stoicism and unintentional snark down to an art form; the short cuts and cheating – both proven and alleged; the blind dumb luck which falls into their laps; the perceived favoritism by game officials…all of it adds to the mountain of disdain.

But if you really want to grasp the biggest contributing factor of why America hates the Patriots, it can be summed up in one simple word.

Smug.

Patriots players, coaches, beat writers and particularly the fans, all have this air of smugness about them which flips the switch on football fans everywhere.

You see it coming from Bill Belichick when he comes off as having too much integrity to answer honest questions in a press conference. You see it coming from Tom Brady when his sideline and on-field antics (the same which get other players fined and lambasted by the press) are praised and lauded as “competitiveness”.

You see it coming from the New England and Boston press corps, who not only take every opportunity to lift their gridiron deities names on high, but also use opposing team’s names to scrape the mud from their shoes.

But it’s the New England fans – and I’ll refrain from using the punny derogatory term commonly applied to them – who really bring out the worst in America’s NFL culture.

The “they hate us ’cause they ain’t us” mentality coming from New England is a set of sharpened acrylic nails dragging themselves down chalkboards attached to every spine in the country.

It’s not just that Patriots fans taunt – all fans do that – it’s the taunting coupled with the denial that their beloved Tom Brady and Bill Belichick could ever cross the line and do wrong (regardless of the mountains of evidence placed before them).

It’s the smug and arrogant feeling coming from New England that no matter what, they’ll come out on top. It’s beyond confidence. It’s as if they know something the rest of us only suspect.

If you want to know how much America really detests the Patriots, look no further than the biggest piece of pop culture in the world.

The correlation is often drawn between the Patriots organization to the evil Galactic Empire from the Star Wars saga, with Bill Belichick – hoodie masking his evilness – sitting and watching the rebellion be crushed year after year.

If Belichick is Emperor Palpatine (aka, Darth Sidious), then that would make Patriots owner Robert Kraft none other than the mentor, Darth Plagueis.

From Revenge of the Sith:

"“Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”"

Scary accurate, wouldn’t you say?

Patriots fans themselves are the masters of disguise. They cloak themselves in beloved national colors, when in fact they are monochrome, programmed stormtroopers, all carrying and sharing the same black heart used to suck dry the souls of America’s NFL fandoms.

Next: 3 Takeaways From Patriots AFC Championship Game Win

And yet the evil empire is at it again. Returning to the scene of their most horrific crimes, where Tom Brady has slaughtered Rams, Panthers, Eagles, Seahawks and Falcons like helpless Jawas and younglings. In Minneapolis, the battle to topple the empire will begin once more.

And the hopes of America rest on the shoulders of Nick Foles?

Help us, Eli. You’re our only hope.