Super Bowl Tale of the Tape: Who Should Detroit Lions’ Fans Root For Sunday?
By Max DeMara
Jan 18, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
Cons
1. Deflategate and controversy. Certainly, it would be hard for plenty of loyal football fans to watch the Patriots celebrating Sunday night while being forced to wonder if everything was on the up and up with their victory. The deflategate scandal, while likely much ado about very little, still reinforced the fact that the Patriots might bend every rule they could in order to secure wins. Watching a team like that and pulling for them is something that will likely be a tough sell for most impartial observers. Plenty of people won’t believe New England had nothing to do with the scandal even if proven innocent. Spygate will linger in the back of their minds, as will the ugly Aaron Hernandez murder controversy.
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2. The rich getting richer. Boston sports has been on a quality run lately, seeing an NBA title in 2010, the Stanley Cup a year later, a World Series title in 2013 and now seeing the Patriots reach the Super Bowl again for the first time since way back in 2012. How much more winning from the northeast can everyone take? A Patriots victory would continue the good run for this region, and continue the trend of insufferable bloviating from its fans. After all, everyone knows someone who’s an obnoxious Boston rooter.
3. Bill Belichick. Though Belichick maintains strong Detroit ties and an appreciation for them, he’s still a polarizing figure amongst enemy fan bases. Another victory would probably turn folks against the NFL’s version of Darth Sidious for good. He’s cold, boring, might do whatever it took to win and would likely much prefer a trip to the dentist than a date with a television camera. As such, he’s not a character many want to see hoisting the Lombardi Trophy again, especially when juxtaposed with the fun-loving Pete Carroll.
Next: The Conclusion