I talked to Pats Pulpit, it's all good now. -C
You might have noticed that I got very upset recently over the unprovoked attack on some Jaguars fans outside Foxboro.
You can re-read my outrage here.
Well, our good friends and co-bloggers over at Pats Pulpit have stumbled across the article, and they were not pleased.
These are just incidents involving Jaguars fans! Can you imagine how often this occurs at all 32 NFL stadiums? How about major league baseball fields, or basketball and hockey arenas, or following soccer matches?
Of course, no one at SB Nation's Jacksonville Jaguars blog could be bothered to use Google, choosing instead to rage against Patriots fans in ignorance. No mention of the Pittsburgh incident, recently or in the past. I guess it's not a big deal if a division rival's fans beat the hell out of yours.
You'll also notice in the Big Cat Country posting that our good friend in Indianapolis tipped them off to the Foxboro incident. That's fine. The Jags' blogger certainly has the right to know about the incident, though it's unfortunate he's uninformed how prevalent incidents like these are (so prevalent that they rarely make newsprint), especially when his fellow fans are involved. What's obvious is that you-know-who continues the baseless vendetta against Patriots fans. They're still trying to convince rationally-minded people how classy they are. You know this because they tell you -- right, LaDanian?
Pats Pulpit argues that I did you, my readers, a disservice by not doing more research on the frequency of attacks at NFL games and major sporting events in general.
Specifically, I'm scolded for not informing you of an attack during the Steelers game where another Jags fan was attacked:
Darren says the "sucker punch" hit him in just the wrong place and he couldn't breathe for awhile.
"There was no security anywhere," Darren says.
Finally, cops came and kicked the Steelers fan out of the stadium.
Yes, I forgot to do the moral equivocation that all violence is the same, no matter if it's one fan sucker punching another, or if it's an unruly mob attacking four individuals, two of which were rooting for the home team. (Unless Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi were actually Jaguars).
Of course it's not the same thing. It's not the same thing by any realistic stretch of the imagination. One results in a Steeler being ejected from the Stadium, the other leaves with four people beaten and "no suspects" because the very classy and very helpful New England fans who happened to see what was happening did the right thing by Joining in on the beating and then shutting up when the cops show up. (Which they were called, and yes they did show up, and of course, nobody saw a thing...)
I'll admit to the same thing here as I did in my reply to Pats Pulpit: I accept, with full responsibility as editor and writer of Big Cat Country, for using hyperbole in my consideration of New England Patriot fans as an"undeserving bunch of whiny, petty, shallow, and immature fans.", that was obviously painting with a broad brush.
Of course, admitting to literary exaggeration isn't the same thing as admitting that I'm wrong. I'll stand by my words as far as that goes. Especially on the whining part, getting your knickers in a knot on the eve of a conference championship game over my comments is absurd. Especially when you're a clear favorite to win the Super Bowl.
It's like somehow, deep inside, these "fans" who are so quick to attack me, or Stampede Blue or any of the other fine NFL teams who have crossed the Patriots path feel like rooting for any other team for any reason is a personal affront. Like my being a die-hard homer for the Jaguars is a personal threat to Tom Brady's mother.
Get over yourselves, when you stoop to the level of saying "it's not a big deal that we beat up two of your fans and two of ours in an angry mob style beat down because other fans do it too", despite being the (on the field) Class of the NFL, you've lost me. I can't wrap my mind around the mindset. Instead, we get a buried behind the fold denouncement of the attackers after four paragraphs accusing me of being a bad writer. Also, accused of being stupid, cause I'm too shallow and naive to know that the world is a violent place and that being outraged when violence happens to your fans is just another sign that I'm too immature for this big complicated world.
So, Pats Pulpit, I'll make sure as the leading New England Patriots blog, that the victims know that you denounce and condemn what happened. I'm sure, they'll appreciate knowing that there is a rational voice among the madness.
Now how about you focus on your Championship Game and something that matters, since Foxboro security and spontaneous mob mentality driven violence toward two of your own fans, as well as two Jags, are just part of being a NFL Fan in America.
GO CHARGERS! (How's that for Respect!)
-Chris