Entitled

Me? A Patriots fan? Entitled?

Really?

Patriots fans are called a lot of things. Smug. Rude. Loud. Annoying. Delusional. Obnoxious. Entitled. Oh, did I forget racist? My bad. Anyway, I've heard it all before, of course, but for some reason, hearing Patriots fans described as the most entitled fans in all of sports today (apologies; missed the attribution as I was only half listening to WEEI on the way back from the store), I wondered…

Entitled?

This is just more fallout from the Steelers act of self-immolation at the end of Sunday's game, of course, and because Patriots fans smugly, annoyingly, and obnoxiously pointed out that Jessie James did not complete the process/survive the ground and the play was correctly ruled an incompletion. Because rules. Okay, but…

Entitled?

Let's check the dictionary…

Entitled - Believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

Is an expectation the game will be called according to the rules an example of privilege? Of special treatment?

Look, I get it...

If you're a fan of any of the Other 31 NFL Franchises, your team hasn't won as many games as the Patriots over the last decade and a half. New England has been a participant in 7 of the last 16 Super Bowls and won 5 of them. (Yes, I know you know this; I didn't say I wasn't smugly and annoyingly obnoxious; it's entitled I've got a problem with.) The Patriots have been led by handsome, blue-eyed, dimple-chinned, greatest of all time QB Tom Brady to those many regular season, playoff and Super Bowl wins. (Yeah, you knew I was going there with the GOAT, didn't you?) Brady famously lasted until the 6th round of the NFL draft so there's also the fact that he could've been playing for your team right now instead of the Patriots.

I get this, too…

You want an explanation or at least a rationalization for Tom Brady and the Patriots winning so many games, as if New England were the only successful franchise in the NFL over the last decade. (I'm looking at you, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Denver.) So, (smugness alert!) you give me the refrain of sore losers everywhere: the Patriots are cheaters! Okay, Spygate happened. (So did this, if I may stoop briefly to whataboutism.) I have to give you that one. (Sorry, not going to give you Deflategate. I don't consider relying on scientific evidence to be delusional and I'll never let it go regardless of the Super Bowl 49 and 51 wins. Get over it? I had four games of Tom Brady stolen from me! I can never get those back. This isn't about entitlement; this is about a miscarriage of justice. Okay, back to Spygate.) I'm not sure something that happened ten years ago explains everything that's happened since then but okay....

Cheaters!

It lets you and your team off the hook, doesn't it? It explains everything! How could your team win if the game wasn't fair? This has the added benefit of throwing shade on everything New England has accomplished and I guess that has to make you feel better about things, too, in a bitter, spiteful, the neighbors pets have been disappearing at an alarming rate kind of way. If that's what works for you, I'm fine with it. After all (smugness alert!), if the Patriots are being called cheaters it probably means they're winning.

There's also the conspiracy theory that the NFL wants the Patriots to win. If you believe that I have to say - and I'm trying not to be smug, obnoxious, or condescending (I should probably add that to the list) when I say this - you're an idiot. Sure, it's good for the NFL to have a villain but is it really a good idea to have the villain win nearly 80% of the time when you're selling parity? More importantly, do you really think the NFL of Roger Goodell is capable of pulling something like that off?

Hint: The correct answer to that last question is "No,"

Maybe I shouldn't care about being called entitled when I'm ready to accept smug, rude, loud, annoying, (not delusional, though), obnoxious, entitled, racist (okay, not really cool with that), and condescending. Maybe I'm ready to "embrace the hate." I have to admit, the accusations of cheating, the conspiracy theories, all the pigskin pundits and bobbleheads who offered up Montana, then Manning, and now Rodgers as better than Tom Brady - all of it - doesn't make me angry any more.

It makes me smile.

Yes; it's a smug and condescending smile.

So yeah. Call me entitled. After all (you know what's coming), if you're calling me entitled, it probably means good things are coming my way.