The Patriots' Super Bowl sendoff on Sunday drew an estimated 35,000 fans to Gillette StadiumGETTY IMAGES
With the Patriots set to make their ninth Super Bowl appearance in the past 18 years, it "seems fair to wonder" whether "some of the thrill is gone" for the fan base, according to a front-page piece by Dugan Arnett of the BOSTON GLOBE. Massachusetts native and Esquire political writer Charles Pierce recently in an appearance on NPR said Pats fans "don’t care anymore." Arnett notes that is a "sentiment that has gained some traction as the championship trophies have piled up." To those "hailing from less-blessed NFL locales -- cities in which a Super Bowl appearance would register as the event of the decade, if not the century -- the local lead-up to this year’s game can seem a bit ... underwhelming." Days out from Super Bowl LIII, light poles on Boylston Street in Boston were "void of much in the way of Patriots regalia." A team banner "hung half-heartedly from City Hall, though city officials had no other plans to honor the team." Even the Public Garden’s "famous duckling statues, draped last year in miniature Patriots jerseys ahead of the Super Bowl, have so far gone unattended this time around." However, many "scoff at the notion that the enthusiasm has waned." They "point to the still sizable attendance at recent championship parades -- and a Super Bowl sendoff that on Sunday drew an estimated 35,000 fans to Gillette Stadium -- as evidence that the euphoria is as potent as ever" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/31).
TOEING THE LINE: In L.A., Dylan Hernandez wrote if the Rams win Sunday, they "have to decline" a potential invitation from President Trump to the White House. A Super Bowl winner "from any market would have to deliberate such action because of the number of players who object to the President's racially charged rhetoric and policies." Trump "already canceled a scheduled visit" by the Eagles last year after many players said they "wouldn't attend." The Rams in particular "have to think about the remarkable diversity of their unique fan base" (L.A. TIMES, 1/30).
