I became a Philadelphia Phillies fan by playing with them in the copy of MLB 2k7 that my cousin gave to me when I was 8. My uncle became a Detroit Pistons fan because of his favorite player Isaiah Thomas and the rest of the Bad Boy Pistons in the 80s. Thousands of people became Warriors fans in summer 2016 when they signed big name free agent David West. There are many ways that we become fans of our favorite teams, but when you’re born into a fanbase, you don’t always get a choice in the team that you root for. Inevitably, this puts some people in better situations than others, leading to spoiled winning fans that can be compared to “spoiled rich kids”.
Colby Moore is one of these spoiled fans. Colby was born in 2004, and his parents are from Connecticut and Massachusetts, meaning he was born into a Patriots family. His dad held season tickets on the 50-yard line at Foxboro Stadium and played with Patriots players in charity basketball games in the 90s, which might make you think I should have interviewed him, but there’s something interesting about Patriots fans like Colby and fellow LFG Writer/Editor Jeff Nathan who have been spoiled with 2 decades of excellence, the best head coach and quarterback ever, and 6 super bowls, all without the struggles that a lot of fans have to endure.
In February of 2004, the Patriots beat the Panthers in Super Bowl 38. About a month later, Colby was born, and since then, the Patriots have gone a decent 239-86, including 4 more Super Bowl wins and only missing the playoffs twice in that span. After the end of the Brady era in New England and the start of the Mac Jones era, I sat down with Colby to ask him about his favorite memories, as well as his thoughts on the future of the team.
Colby is fortunate enough to have a significant pool of good memories when choosing a favorite, but he says the one that stands out the most is Super Bowl 49, the famous Malcolm Butler interception that left Richard Sherman (and half the country) speechless. He says he remembers his dad leaving the room after a ridiculous catch by Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse that had Seattle knocking on the door for the go-ahead score. Then, Butler intercepted Russel Wilson, and all hell broke loose in their house. His dad came running in and wrapped Colby in an embrace he says he’ll never forget. No kiss on the lips though, sorry Tom.
This is just one of the 6 Super Bowl appearances that he has gotten to witness, and it’s probably not even the most memorable one for a lot of people (sorry Falcons fans). It’s also just one of the almost 250 wins the Patriots accrued in Colby’s lifetime. Their pure dominance over the league, and especially the AFC East, made him hesitate when I asked who he thought the Patriots’ biggest rival was. I’m sure if you were to ask a fan of the other 3 teams who their rival is, the Patriots would be at the top of that list. Overall, Colby has never regretted being born into a Patriots family, and I honestly can’t blame him.
There have, however, been some negatives to being a Patriots fan for Colby. Obviously, there is a vilification that occurs when a team has been that successful for decades, and New England has also had its share of controversies. Colby told me that he has received a fair share of hate at school (only some of it from me), for being a Patriots fan. A lot of it had to do with the cheating scandals, but he told me he was never phased by it because he had the best possible rebuttal, his team was in the Super Bowl every other year. His response to me most of the time, when I made a deflate gate or a Spygate crack, was, “why so jealous”. Even with all of the hate, I’d like to think he would rather deal with people disliking his team and asking him how flat he likes his balls than deal with the pity and sarcasm I get when I tell people I’m a Houston Texans fan, or the “Texas is back” jokes I see on my timeline on what seems like a weekly basis.
From a certain view, I can relate to being a spoiled fan. For the better part of my life watching the San Antonio Spurs, the playoffs were not only an expectation, it was the standard. A dynasty led by a superstar and one of the best coaches of all time, sounds familiar right? Sadly, the Spurs’ dynasty ended at the feet of one Zaza Pachulia and has never been the same since. The Patriots, on the other hand, had one fluke 7-9 season in a COVID year and were right back in the playoffs the next year with a rookie quarterback that has Colby and other Pats fans excited for the future. Will they ever end up spiraling downhill and having to rebuild? Will spoiled Patriots fans like Colby ever know anything other than constant winning? He doesn’t think so, and as long as Bill Belichick is giving melancholy answers in press conferences, I don’t think so either. What do you think? Do you like the Patriots? Hate them? Let us know in the comments below!
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