Deflate-Gate And The Super Bowl: Will Anyone Cheer For The New England Patriots?


Although the debate over Deflate-Gate rages on, the NFL continues to prepare for the Super Bowl (that takes place in a little over a week) as if Rome weren’t burning down in the background.

“What’s the big deal over some under-inflated balls?”

It’s a question that some have argued, leading to the opinion that Deflate-Gate is a non-story that everyone should forget about.

At the same time, the New England Patriots have become a lightning rod for controversy, with many arguing that the Patriots should not get to play in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.

Chris Chase at USA Today argues that it’s not whether the Patriots would have won against the Indianapolis Colts regardless of the cheating allegations. Chase argues that there are more important moral principles at work.

“The New England Patriots cheated in the AFC championship. As such, the team should be disqualified from the Super Bowl.

“Deflating 11 of 12 balls in Sunday’s game, as has been reported by ESPN, is a major violation and something that had a great effect on the game. Given the number of deflated balls, it’s almost impossible this was accident, meaning that someone in the New England organization willfully tampered with the rules to give his team an advantage. That’s cheating.

“The penalty should be simple: Ban ’em.”

Though a number of Indianapolis Colts fans have demanded the team be sent to the Super Bowl in the place of the increasingly disgraced New England Patriots, some of us feel that a do-over of the AFC Championship game and delayed Super Bowl might be more ideal.

The reality is that the Patriots probably will get the go to the Super Bowl. Yes, even as Tom Brady, a man who has handled footballs for DECADES, wants us to believe he can’t tell the difference between a fully inflated and under inflated football.

It’s something that casts yet another dark shadow over a season filled with rape and domestic abuse allegations against players — and a noted unwillingness or inability of the NFL to met out any real punishment.

And now, ahead of the biggest game of the season, one of those teams has been caught cheating.

The NFL will likely act, but if the Patriots are allowed to go, it will be a black mark on football history that will never be erased.

When one looks at the emotional backlash of so many football fans to Deflate-Gate, it’s doubtful that anyone will be cheering for the New England Patriots should they be sent to the Super Bowl.

Except, of course, New England Patriot fans.

A poll asking if anyone believes Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady has shown that everyone asked who lives outside of New England thinks one or both men are lying. Only the local and loyal New England fans elect to believe otherwise.

Unless the North Eastern most corner of the United States bought out all the Super Bowl tickets, it’s very unlikely that New England will feel that much love when they travel to Arizona, as the Super Bowl will be held at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Assuming that the Patriots are allowed to participate in the Super Bowl (it looks likely), do you think they’ll be booed by the crowd?

[Image Credit: NFL Twitter]

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