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I felt compelled to write something on the media and their treatment of the New England Patriots leading up to Super Bowl XXXI. It is insulting that the Patriots are getting less press than any other team in the Super Bowl history. If that were not insulting enough, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers received more publicity than any team that did not lose in the second round of the playoffs. The media has tried to do their job of promoting football throughout the NFL season, but viewers were mostly given stories on teams the media thought would win. First it was the Pittsburgh Steelers running over the Patriots. Then it was the Cinderella Jacksonville Jaguars, and how they all felt an upset was in the making. The Patriots prevailed both times and the media fell silent. With the Super bowl fast approaching, the fans of football are being treated to a full course meal of articles and news | stories on the Packers. Meanwhile the New England fans are being fed only appetizers. Out of all the things they could say and mention about the Patriots they chose what could be considered one of the most insulting things to write about. The article ran in the sports section of the Leader Post on Monday, January 20. As a Patriots fan I found the writers glaring ignorance quite offensive. The story basically stated that with the exception of Bill Parcells, no one knows who any of the Patriots are. At first, I was surprised that anyone was actually discussing the Patriots, because who really cares about the A.F.C. team. It was at least over shadowed by an article on the Packers quarterback's home town of Kiln, Miss.. My surprise quickly turned to anger as I read the article. Has the writer been living in a hole for the past couple of years? Has he never heard of any of the Patriots? I found it hard to believe that no one out in the sporting world has heard of Drew Bledsoe | , Curtis Martin, Ben Coates, David Meggett, or Bruce Armstrong. These players have all been or are currently pro players and they have graced the covers of various sporting magazines. Then there is a wide receiver on the Patriots also a player that I would find it hard to believe that no one has heard of. Terry Glen a player that was a first round draft pick in last years draft who went on to break the record for the number of receptions by a rookie. I guess you cannot really blame the writer of the article who hails from New Orleans, a city that as of late has had a poor football tradition. If I was from New Orleans and a Saint's fan I guess I would not follow football closely either. Then, I might end up making comments like that the Patriots are a bunch of no names. |