Why does everyone hate the Patriots? Let us count the ways

Recommended Video:

We heard it all fall and into the winter.

This is the beginning of the end, the football pundits continually said. The New England Patriots, after two decades of dominance, were finally falling back to the pack. It was the end of an era.

We heard it after the Patriots lost two games in September and it was repeated in December, when Bill Belichick’s crew lost to the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers on consecutive Sundays. It’s over, the experts said with a tinge of glee.

Maybe that’s why a segment of football fandom is reeling as Belichick & Co, march to their third consecutive Super Bowl. Patriot Haters — and there are many among us — had such high hopes as the NFL playoffs began.

Instead, they are subjected to yet another Super Bowl starring Tom Brady.

Why the hate?

1. Giants Country: Sports allegiances are often passed from one generation to the next, so history matters. The Giants planted their football flag in the Northeast long before the upstart Pats were born in the old AFL. You think the Giants had deep roots in Connecticut? The franchise had a strong following across New England as Sports allegiances are often passed from one generation to the next, so history matters. The Giants planted their football flag in the Northeast long before the upstart Pats were born in the old AFL. You think the Giants had deep roots in Connecticut? The franchise had a strong following across New England as Giants were broadcast each Sunday on local TV . In New England’s southernmost state, the Giants were literally a home team — they once trained in Fairfield and made Yale Bowl their temporary home . For a contingent of fans in Connecticut, the Patriots are viewed as an interloper, while their fans are viewed as bandwagon jumpers, so the state will always be the dividing line between New York and Boston fan bases . But at least Giants fans can take solace in those two Super Bowl victories over the immortal Mr. Brady.

less 1. Giants Country: Sports allegiances are often passed from one generation to the next, so history matters. The Giants planted their football flag in the Northeast long before the upstart Pats were born in ... more Photo: Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo: Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Why does everyone hate the Patriots? Let us count the ways 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

And why does a slice of Connecticut fans hate New England’s NFL franchise?

Let us count the ways.

1. Giants Country: Sports allegiances are often passed from one generation to the next, so history matters. The Giants planted their football flag in the Northeast long before the upstart Pats were born in the old AFL. You think the Giants had deep roots in Connecticut? The franchise had a strong following across New England as Giants were broadcast each Sunday on local TV. In New England’s southernmost state, the Giants were literally a home team — they once trained in Fairfield and made Yale Bowl their temporary home. For a contingent of fans in Connecticut, the Patriots are viewed as an interloper, while their fans are viewed as bandwagon jumpers, so the state will always be the dividing line between New York and Boston fan bases. But at least Giants fans can take solace in those two Super Bowl victories over the immortal Mr. Brady.

2. Jets Country: Let’s start by saying Gang Green is not everyone’s cup of green tea. A map based on geotagged tweets recently posted on Reddit shows the Jets are the most hated team in each of the six New England states. Like the Patriots, the Jets emerged from the AFL and made their home in historically Giants territory. And they’ve been the Patriots regional and division rivals, so the Jets draw animosity from all sides. But … there’s plenty of reasons why Jets fans despise the Patriots. Start with all of the above (playing twice a year, battling in the same division, the regional rival thing). Then there’s Bill Parcell leaving the Patriots for the Jets. Then there’s Belichick resigning as HC of NYJ to become Patriots coach. Then there’s Eric (Pride of Hartford) Mangini leaving the Patriots for the Jets and dropping the match on SpyGate. Meanwhile, the Jets haven’t made the playoffs in eight years, while Patriots sit atop the NFL. Hence, the hatred.

3. Everybody Hates A Winner: Want data? An SB Nation survey of NFL fans before the conference championships found 69.4 percent wanted the Patriots to lose. That same Reddit map showed the Patriots were the most hated team in 13 states (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Utah, Wyoming), more than any team. A Monmouth poll before last year’s Super Bowl found 16 percent of those surveyed nationally were pulling for the Patriots while 39 percent were rooting for New England to lose. Other polls in recent years have offered the same result — people don’t like the Patriots. Is there Patriots fatigue? Are people tired of all the winning?

4. Cheaters Always Win: From spying on opponents to deflating footballs, the Patriots have a long history of trouble. Belichick and the Patriots had three Super Bowl titles in six years when the team was caught videotaping signals by Jets’ coaches in September 2007. Belichick and the team were fined, the Patriots were docked a first-round draft pick and the reputation was secure. The Patriots were cheaters. And the cheaters were again caught cheating in January 2015, when the NFL launched an investigation into a report the Patriots were using a deflated football in their AFC Championship Game win over the Indianapolis Colts. Brady was suspended for four games and the Patriots were fined $1 million and lost two draft picks, but a federal judge vacated Roger Goodell’s suspension. The league won an appeal and Brady served his time in 2016 — a season that ended with the Patriots winning the Super Bowl. Two years later, they’re back in the Super Bowl and you still hear the occasional “deflating” jab. Mostly, though, the haters call them cheaters.

5. Hartford Patriots … Or Not: It was just two years after the Whalers bolted for North Carolina. In November 1998, Connecticut was poised to climb back into the big leagues — the Patriots were moving to Hartford. The Hartford Courant headline screamed “Touchdown” as the Patriots were set to move into a $374 million stadium in 2001. Yeah, right. By April, 1999, Patriots owner Robert Kraft ended the deal over construction delays and the promise of a sweetened deal from Massachusetts. The team stayed in Foxborough, with a new stadium and a dynasty in its immediate future. There were lots of angry politicians in Hartford, some vowing to never root for the Patriots again. The state built a stadium across the Connecticut River in East Hartford as UConn elevated its football program. And 20 years later, Connecticut still lacks a Big 4 professional sports resident. Kraft later said he cherished the support in Connecticut, even though there was still lingering anger. Five Super Bowls later,there may still be some bitterness in the Nutmeg State.

paul.doyle@hearstmediact.com; @PaulDoyle1