Tom vs. Trump
Photo courtesy of Keith Allison (via Flickr)
Written By Austin Hall (@ADWAustin)
When the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles, I wasn’t as sad as I’d thought I’d be. The Pats have been one of the NFL’s most dominant teams for the past 17 years, winning 5 championships and appearing in 8 Super Bowls. When the journey began, I loved starting quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick, and team owner Robert Kraft. Now, I tolerate them, and sometimes, I really dislike them.
It didn’t start that long ago. Since President Donald Trump started running for office, we learned how close Trump and the Pats were. Brady displayed Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hat in his locker and considered him a friend. Kraft, also a friend of Trump’s, donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. Belichick wrote Trump a letter of support during Trump’s campaign. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski made a MAGA post during the Pats’ visit to the White House because of course he did. At least not everyone went to the White House, though I doubt Brady was making a political statement.
What makes this all truly sickening is the fact that Trump is a bigot, alleged sexual predator, and liar. He is the Alt-Right’s favorite president, who, by the way, also love the Patriots. Just ask Richard Spencer, the leader of the Alt-Right with a Hitler hairdo to match. He loves the Pats and their proclivity for white players.
The Patriots aren’t intentionally the whitest team in America, but the connection between the Pats and Trump does not quell the notion. Even reading a tongue-and-cheek article about why they suck, I couldn’t help but agree with just about everything the article says about them and their do-your-job, emotionless way of dealing with players.
The fans are even worse. They’re either saying that the NFL is against them or yipping it up because they won it all again. The kicker though is the blatant racism that fuels too much of the Pats’ fandom. When Trump called players who took a knee sons of bitches, New England fans booed them, signifying agreement with the President. Why? Because they ignorantly thought it was a protest against the flag and not to shine a light on the unfair treatment of black people in the U.S. Brady and Kraft, in an effort to look united with their football players without ruffling any feathers, gave limp statements in response.
Regardless of the Trump affiliation, Brady is still a vapid robot. He masquerades as a human with his buddy Alex Guerrero, a modern day snake oil salesman. In fact, it’s a brand: TB12 Method. I dare you to read a sentence of that drivel without having your eyes roll to the back of your head.
Here’s the thing: just about everyone outside of New England hates the Patriots, and I don’t blame them. Philly wasn’t the only city watching Brady get strip-sacked late in the fourth quarter with utter glee.
So no, I wasn’t too dismayed walking home from my friend’s place in the rain. I even felt pretty relieved throwing away some of my Pats gear in a trash can on the way. It was soothing to lose, comforting even. It’s what Philly deserves. It’s what America deserves. And, if it’s an omen of things to come, like Trump getting impeached and thrown in jail, I’m all for it.
Even though I’ll always be a Patriots fan, at least for one 15-minute walk, I wasn’t. And it felt great.
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