Super Choke

Being a New England sports fan is awesome. When you live in New England.

Living in Minnesota, cheering for the powerhouse Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics is feeling more and more like being a New Yorker cheering for the Bronx Bombers in a Harvard Square bar.

After last night's game of rooting for the Pats in THE most historically significant super bowl in the past 20 years, and getting booed down by 'underdog-fever' friends, I am spent. I expect people to root for their home team, and I also appreciate people who choose a team to support before a game just for the value of entertainment, but being the only Patriots supporter, it was a lonely battle.

What I didn't expect though, was the unanimous intolerance of success that seems to be the growing motif. The Pats did not deserve the win last night. They did not play even close to their potential; blame it on Brady's ankle, on the aging front line, or whatever, but they didn't do what it takes to win a game. And the Giant's played like a possessed team, relentless in their blitzes and coverage.

But I would have been happy to see the Patriots win for the good of the sport, for a team that has the best coaching staff in the game, for the players that have dedicated their time and life to this game to be the best, for the discipline and professionalism unrivaled by any team possibly ever, and the chance for an undefeated season (when the field is so even and the margins of advantage so small). But, the underdog, for whatever reason, is now the new favorite and I have to accept that.

But don't feel bad for me, I'm a New England sports fan.