New England Patriots: Growing up with the NFL’s premier dynasty
By Paul Liacos
New England’s favorite team
Another thing people forget about this New England Patriots franchise is how close they were to moving to Hartford, CT or even worse, St Louis, MO.
Both scenarios sound like an alternate universe considering how beloved these Patriots have become. But when Robert Kraft bought this team in 1994, they were far and away the least important of the Boston area’s four major sports teams.
It went Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and then wayyyyy down the line was the insignificant Patriots. Nowadays though? Everyone is a “die-hard” fan and they are far and away New England’s favorite sons. I mean even my nana, who could care less about sports in general, knows that Tom Brady is married to Giselle, wears UGG boots, and kisses his son for uncomfortably long periods of time.
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Simply put, the New England Patriots are entrenched in our souls at this point and as much as Brady and Belichick get the majority of the credit and rightfully so, it cannot be understated the impact Robert Kraft has had on this franchise. It was the 25th anniversary of him purchasing the team recently and in that time, he has 10 Super Bowl appearances, 5 Championships, and has become the proud owner of the second most valuable team in the NFL, valued at $3.8 billion. Not too shabby.
So again, I just think to myself how surreal it all is. When I think of legendary franchises or dynasties like the New York Yankees, the Boston Celtics, or even the Dallas Cowboys, they seem like these things that took decades in the making and were present long before I was even alive. But with the Patriots, it has all happened before my eyes.
And the crazy thing is that this dynasty might be the most impressive out of all those I just named. In terms of length and consistent winning, it’s unparalleled.
What the New England Patriots have done over the past two decades will never be replicated and it’s hard to wrap my mind around that. I just assume they will be good every single year because that’s basically what it’s always been.
Can you imagine rooting for a team like the Cleveland Browns?
Ugh, that sounds gross to even think about.
But one day, hopefully not anytime soon, that could and probably will be the Patriots. I will have to tell my grandkids stories about the GOAT Tom Brady like Brown’s fans talk about the great Jim Brown to theirs.
Just a distant memory of better times and something that those future grandkids will certainly not even care about in the slightest. They won’t have experienced what I have over these past 17 years, they’ll probably be more concerned about when President Justin Bieber is releasing his new album.