Would you rather watch the Super Bowl with Patriots fans or Falcons fans?
Let's be honest: Neither Atlanta nor Boston sports fans get a lot of love these days, fairly or unfairly. The reasons, of course, are completely different. Atlanta tends to get a bad rap for not exactly showing up to support all of its teams, though the Falcons have a passionate following. Meanwhile, people seem to get annoyed at the "woe is me" mentality of Boston fans, particularly since the Patriots have won four Super Bowls during this golden era, while the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins have all won at least one championship since 2008.
Whether it's jealously for Boston or looking down on Atlanta, neither fan base is exactly popular outside its inner circle. Welcome back to the Yardbarker roundtable, where today we ask our panelists:
Who would you rather watch Super Bowl LI with New England Patriots fans or Atlanta Falcons fans, and why?
Mike Tunison: Falcons fans. They seem genuinely happy to have their city represented in a championship game and would likely respond to a victory with joy, whereas Patriots fans would be combative and defensive, even with a win.
Sam Greszes: How is this even a question?
Atlanta has a long-suffering fan base used to late-season meltdowns. They expect collapse at every turn, and this makes them a generally humble and easygoing bunch.
On the other hand, New England fans have, despite their recent dominance, stuck to this odd us-against-the-world mentality and constantly view their team as the disrespected underdog. It's annoying. Plus, they all really need to shut up about Deflategate punishments.
So obviously, the answer is to watch with a bunch of New England fans, then rub it in their face when the Falcons win.
Also, Mark Wahlberg sucks.
David Matthews: There's a novelty to the Super Bowl featuring a "non-traditional" team for football fans who don't root for that team, so for that reason I'd rather watch the Large Game with Atlanta Falcons fans. They might not remember the last Super Bowl the team made, and they're definitely going to be more amped if their squad pulls it off. Plus there's the small chance that Killer Mike or Outkast show up at the hypothetical Falcons viewing party. They'd undoubtedly have better food, too.
Demetrius Bell: I mean, when you've got a certain Boston sportswriter claiming that it's hard to get excited about a particular opponent in the Super Bowl, that should be a sign that one particular fan base is more ho-hum about things right now than the other. Of course, Patriots fans are going to be excited, but I highly doubt that you're going to walk into a Super Bowl party in Massachusetts with a DJ/MC/Aux Cord Manager playing Outkast, Migos or Gucci Mane (or any other legendary hip-hop artists who happen to be from one particular city in Georgia) in the background. Meanwhile in Atlanta, there is a 112 percent chance of that happening. I may be biased here, but I feel pretty safe in saying that you'd probably have a better time with Falcons fans for this particular game.
Shiloh Carder: Falcons fans. This will sound like hating, but do you really want to watch the Supah Bowl with New England fans that already have been doing this for nearly two decades and who already have a chip on their shoulder about Deflategate? Screaming about Goodell even though he kinda glossed over New England's other "gates"? No. At least Falcons fans will be wide-eyed and having a good time with this. Falcons fans have waited nearly 20 years for this and should have a blast.
Jamie Neal: Atlanta fans — no doubt.
New England fans seem to have this entitlement feeling about them, almost like they deserve to win every game and the Super Bowl every year.
Don't get me wrong, I think Belichick is the greatest coach to ever walk a sideline and Brady is the best quarterback the league has ever seen, but there is something to be said about fan bases and humility, and Patriots fans would struggle to define that word.
Atlanta fans have been starved for a championship of any kind, and the people I know from Atlanta know how to get down. I'd rather hang out with them on Super Bowl Sunday, and it's not particularly close.
Saturday would be off the heezy fo sheezy, you could find me up in one tweezy. On Sunday, we'd get no sleep in, cause the ATL would have a championship again. (I'm really bad at rapping, but this all made sense in my head.)
Daniel Tran: I’m definitely looking forward to watching Atlanta fans. New England fans have been to the big show too many times, and they are spoiled rotten. Falcons fans are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for their team's first Super Bowl since the turn of the century. Their moods will swing with every pass and every penalty. While New England fans will still be emotional, deep down in their hearts, they know they’ll probably be back next year.
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