The Superbowl

Eh.  Most in the sports media have declared Tom Brady the greatest quarterback of all time, and the Patriots the greatest team.  Even if they lose tonight.   If the Patriots win, then they’ll have a simple stat to back up the claim.

The problem most people have is that the Patriots seem to embody the stereotypes of what people don’t like about America: Win at all costs, break the rules if you can, morals take a back seat to profit, contempt, snobbishness,  abrasiveness, and a general dismissal of the little people who keep them there in the first place.

By virtue of longevity, Brady has racked up the stats, as has the team under Belichick.  But their talent can’t be ignored.  Nonetheless there is something more than the bottom line.  Perhaps it’s an indictment on modern America that so many of their biggest fans seem to embrace the ‘it’s the bottom line, stupid’  mantra.

Yet there is something else.  I lived through the Steelers’ domination of the late 70s, the era of the Cowboys, and the 49ers’ in the 80s, and I can say the Patriots have never enjoyed the same sense of ‘admiration’ that those teams had in their days.  In the 80s, even fans of other teams found themselves rooting for San Francisco. Heck, even non-football fans liked them.  There was something about the finesse, the wink and a nod, of the 49ers back then.  There was more than just stats that made a sports program, or an athlete.

This time, not so much.  In fact, one thing that unites America today is that most Americans dislike the Patriots, despite their victories.  I think that speaks volumes.

But the sports media, and FOX, seem to love them, and so no matter what tonight, they already have enshrined the Patriots as the greatest team and quarterback in the history of the game.  Nonetheless, I’ll root for the Falcons.  If for no other reason, then on general principle.