There's an attitude among fans post-Spygate that we can't do anything wrong, or that it's always an "us vs. them" situation. It's the victim complex that /r/nfl likes to bring up from time to time. Current scandal notwithstanding, there's really nothing to validate that.
Yeah, I've noticed that. It's perfectly okay to say, "My team did something that I question, but I still support them." There are a lot of Patriots fans who refuse to see that. They seem to have the position that if the Patriots did it, it must be right; or, at least, if it was wrong, the Patriots couldn't have done it because Kraft, Belichick, and Brady are all stand-up guys.
Personally, with the acquisitions of Percy Harvin, Richie Incognito, and IK Enemkpali, I have definitely had to admit at many points this offseason that I'm not exactly a fan of what that says about our team's culture. I don't understand people who will defend the team tooth and nail, no matter what, or refuse to take a nuanced position.
The combination of a victim complex with the attitude that we have always been winners, and we will always be winners, and you all are just bitter if you think otherwise (prevalent with a lot of Boston sports fans who are 20 or under)... it's really distasteful to me.
Boston sports culture got too attached to being the "lovable losers" with the Red Sox. When teams started winning, they wanted to keep that attitude, but you can't do that.
Yeah, I agree with you there. The Red Sox used to be lovable losers. I rooted for them like crazy in 2003. I bought a Red Sox hat, despite being a fan of the Orioles growing up.
But since 2001, the Boston area has 3 World Series titles (2004, 2007, 2013), four Super Bowl titles (2001, 2002, 2004, 2015), a NBA title (2008), and a Stanley Cup title (2011), on top of various and sundry titles in other more minor sports. The idea that New England is a region for lovable losers kind of became a joke when they were averaging nearly one major sports championship per year for almost a decade.
It must be painful to hear for a Bostonian, but it's true, for me: the attitude that bothers me about Patriots fans is the same thing that bothers me about Yankees fans.