Despite what many may think, I did not become a New England Patriots fan because of Tom Brady. After Joe Montana retired I was football homeless. Funny, it wasn’t a quarterback that drew me to New England, even though my attempts between 1994 and 1997 to find a new football home were typically based on QB play. But it was geography, not personnel.
I grew up in a home where if there weren’t a Denver team to support, we waved the flag for Boston. That’s never changed and as luck would have it has worked out extremely well since my sports buddy nephew is a passionate fan of all teams Boston. So when I moved to Massachusetts for college, becoming a Patriots fan just made sense.
What’s even funnier about the whole thing is that for years I was in complete denial that Brady was the GOAT (greatest of all time). I can be loyal to a fault and I would brook no argument that Brady surpassed Joe Montana.
Even after Brady earned his fourth ring I used the statistical sleight of hand to say that Montana had won 100% of his Super Bowl appearances and Brady hadn’t. Of course Brady appearing in more Super Bowls but winning the equal amount was even more evidence that he was the GOAT.
After the 2017 Super Bowl even I had to concede. Not only did Brady now have more rings, but he led one of, if not the most remarkable comeback in football history to secure the win. Even a stubborn goat like me had to acknowledge the GOAT.
Brady announced his retirement the morning after I saw “80 For Brady,” which was about that very Super Bowl. The movie had already made me nostalgic for the golden years of the Brady-Belichik era, which is probably why I was much sadder about Brady’s announcement than I expected. It’s truly the end of an era. As a sports fan and a Patriots fan, I’m grateful that I lived through it all.
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Speaking of sports, I’ve been planning a Nuggets outing to see the Dallas Mavericks, excited about a Jokic-Doncic matchup. With reports that Kyrie Irving is signing with the Mavs, the outing was taking on a sour taste. Then I remembered the fans who wore T-shirts emblazoned with “Fight Anti-Semitism” sitting courtside in Brooklyn.
My friends and I aren’t going to splurge for courtside seats, but that doesn’t mean a message can’t be sent.
If anyone has an Israeli flag they’d like to lend me . . .
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
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