Why the Patriots Aren't "JUST a football team" to me

My memories of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots go all the way back to when I was in elementary school. On Sundays, I looked forward to my mother cooking pasta and her famous meatballs while the Sunday game played in the background. Although I didn't understand football at the time, it was a comforting feeling- because I was home.

When the Patriots would make it the SuperBowl, my mother and my aunts would paint #12, and the Patriot's logo on our faces. My cousins would run around in their Patriots attire as the adults intently watched the game and cheered on the team. In those moments, even as a little girl, I felt happiness. Every year, I looked forward to the team possibly making it the big game to experience a family tradition over and over again.

As the years went by, I started to pay attention to the actual game of football. Tom Brady got older, more experienced, and players came and went. I was understanding football more and more as I watched game after game.  And I found myself getting into it. The anticipation, the excitement, the high, and the thrill of watching Brady have 2 minutes to get the ball down the field was something I found joy in. Football, I learned, is a sport based off of dedication, hard work, and a will to keep going. My years in elementary school to high school were tough for me, and getting immersed in the game of football, was an escape.

The Patriots became a dynasty; Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Robert Kraft made a team that was unstoppable. Every year, regardless of the outcome, I was already counting down the days till when football would start again. I made sure to follow the players during the off season as well, particularly Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, to see what they were up to, and I became an ever bigger fan.

As a sophomore in high school, I attended Gronk's first ever book signing at BJ's and waited in a long line for hours. As a sophomore in college, I waited outside Edelman's pop up shop in Boston to see him walk by. I went to countless Patriots training camps during the summer, on Tom Brady's 41st birthday I was only inches away from him. Edelman even posted my picture that I took of him on that day on his Instagram. And again, the same year I waited for Edelman outside his second pop up shop and got to take a picture with him. In those moments, I can say I was the happiest I had been. I know in the future, I will be able to look back on those moments and smile.

From following football and the Patriots, I learned a lot of life lessons. Around the nation, Tom Brady is known as one of the greatest of all time, but also known as "cheater." He is hated beyond belief, and is constantly criticized by the public, as well as sports commentators and professionals. Throughout the year, we heard things like, "Tom Brady is too old," "this is the end of the dynasty," "the team is just not good anymore." And here we are, two days after winning the SuperBowl, and only a couple hours after the celebration parade in Boston. The Patriots are champions once again.

Along with being the quarterback of a great team, Tom Brady is also a father, a brother, an uncle, and a husband. He's a human being. And despite the shit he's gone through throughout the years he's been playing, he's still managed to win 6 SuperBowl rings. People throughout the country have been ignorant to see beyond #12, and see how humble the man is. The inspiration and admiration I have for him is indescribable.

In the midst of the chaos of my family screaming and cheering, I realized that the Patriots aren't just a football team to me. They're apart of my life and have been for the last 17 years. They bring my family together, and have brought me a feeling of togetherness with the rest of New England. A lot of people may not understand that, but that's okay. I can proudly say I love being from Boston because of them. They are my home.

And even after Tom and the rest of the team retires, I will remember the feeling of being home with them forever.