Farmer: No Respect
by Tony Farmer
January 3rd, 2005 -- My buddy and I left Gillette Stadium shocked Sunday. No, we weren't still trying to get over the fact that the 49ers held a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. And it wasn't the fact that we just witnessed our favorite team wrap up one of the most embarrassing seasons in franchise history.
We were shocked that there wasn't one negative word uttered to us the entire day. Yeah that's right.
After running into three obnoxious wannabe Back Street Boys in Baltimore last year, who kept flashing money in an attempt to pay for our tickets so that we would leave their stadium, we knew anything was possible.
As an away fan in enemy territory you have to expect a little heckling. It's Normal. I've had food thrown at me in Yankee Stadium. I once snapped a picture of a man in Texas Stadium and followed it up with: "I just want to show my family back home what a real ass hole looks like." Encounters like this are not strange, they are normal. And that's why Sunday I felt like I was in a bizzaro world after receiving no heckling for six straight hours in Foxboro, Mass. I mean think about that.
Even as we threw a football and drank some cold beverages in the parking lot before the contest, there was nothing. Not a peep. In fact, one Pats fan even graciously served up a Coke for me and my buddy to chase our alcohol with. Umm.hello! We are 49er fans in your nest! I'm wearing my teams colors in your team's house and you just gave me a soda? I mean, if that can hadn't of been sealed I would have been wondering what he put in it.
As we walked into the stadium we were certain that we'd hear at least some heckling, but we were wrong. As we left "The Razor" after the 21-7 loss they refused to kick us while we were down.
"Hey, you guys had some good years." Can you believe this? Our team is now 2-14 (the worst record in football) and instead of rubbing it in our faces, some Pats fan actually somewhat consoled us. My head was spinning. I was confused.
Is it possible that the fans of New England are still riding high from a stunning Red Sox World Series victory? Perhaps they are still on cloud nine because after years of following a mediocre football team, they were now rooting for a dynasty. After all, two of enormous posters with "legends" on them on the outside of the stadium were Steve Grogan and Andre Tippett, and now the Pats are World Champions. Maybe it was still sinking in for Pats fans -- I wish I knew.
My theory: My football team is so pathetic that other fans actually felt bad for us. They showed us pitty. In their eyes, our 49er Jerseys were actually white flags. To them the 49ers weren't the franchise that won five super bowls and dominated the league for so many years. They were the team with a lame-duck head coach who can only beat the Cardinals.
It was eating away at me. On the car ride home I wondered if we would have been heckled if the 49ers were in the playoffs? I wondered how much fans of other teams got heckled in New England. I wanted to turn the car around and ask the guy who gave me a Coke why he was so polite to me? I wanted to ask Mr. "You guys had some good years" what the hell he was thinking. I wanted to get on the Gillette Stadium P.A. and ask "Why aren't you heckling me? For the love of god, what is wrong with you people?"
Suddenly I realized that I was in a bizzaro world. Black is white, up is down, the Patriots are a dynasty and the 49ers are rebuilding. These Patriots are dominating like the 49ers in the 80's and Tom Brady is even drawing comparisons to Joe Montana. While the 49ers will never hang a picture of Derek Smith or Scott Gragg on the outside of Monster Park, there was an eerie similarity between the old Patriots and the current 49ers.
I don't like the bizzaro world. I'm not used to being treated like a Bengal's fan. I want the respect back that 49er fans deserve. Call me sick, but I want to be heckled at the next away game I attend.
Fans of New England, I appreciate your hospitality, but I speak for all of Niner Nation when I say: Take your pitty, and shove it up you're A-gap
January 3rd, 2005 -- My buddy and I left Gillette Stadium shocked Sunday. No, we weren't still trying to get over the fact that the 49ers held a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. And it wasn't the fact that we just witnessed our favorite team wrap up one of the most embarrassing seasons in franchise history.
We were shocked that there wasn't one negative word uttered to us the entire day. Yeah that's right.
After running into three obnoxious wannabe Back Street Boys in Baltimore last year, who kept flashing money in an attempt to pay for our tickets so that we would leave their stadium, we knew anything was possible.
As an away fan in enemy territory you have to expect a little heckling. It's Normal. I've had food thrown at me in Yankee Stadium. I once snapped a picture of a man in Texas Stadium and followed it up with: "I just want to show my family back home what a real ass hole looks like." Encounters like this are not strange, they are normal. And that's why Sunday I felt like I was in a bizzaro world after receiving no heckling for six straight hours in Foxboro, Mass. I mean think about that.
Even as we threw a football and drank some cold beverages in the parking lot before the contest, there was nothing. Not a peep. In fact, one Pats fan even graciously served up a Coke for me and my buddy to chase our alcohol with. Umm.hello! We are 49er fans in your nest! I'm wearing my teams colors in your team's house and you just gave me a soda? I mean, if that can hadn't of been sealed I would have been wondering what he put in it.
As we walked into the stadium we were certain that we'd hear at least some heckling, but we were wrong. As we left "The Razor" after the 21-7 loss they refused to kick us while we were down.
"Hey, you guys had some good years." Can you believe this? Our team is now 2-14 (the worst record in football) and instead of rubbing it in our faces, some Pats fan actually somewhat consoled us. My head was spinning. I was confused.
Is it possible that the fans of New England are still riding high from a stunning Red Sox World Series victory? Perhaps they are still on cloud nine because after years of following a mediocre football team, they were now rooting for a dynasty. After all, two of enormous posters with "legends" on them on the outside of the stadium were Steve Grogan and Andre Tippett, and now the Pats are World Champions. Maybe it was still sinking in for Pats fans -- I wish I knew.
My theory: My football team is so pathetic that other fans actually felt bad for us. They showed us pitty. In their eyes, our 49er Jerseys were actually white flags. To them the 49ers weren't the franchise that won five super bowls and dominated the league for so many years. They were the team with a lame-duck head coach who can only beat the Cardinals.
It was eating away at me. On the car ride home I wondered if we would have been heckled if the 49ers were in the playoffs? I wondered how much fans of other teams got heckled in New England. I wanted to turn the car around and ask the guy who gave me a Coke why he was so polite to me? I wanted to ask Mr. "You guys had some good years" what the hell he was thinking. I wanted to get on the Gillette Stadium P.A. and ask "Why aren't you heckling me? For the love of god, what is wrong with you people?"
Suddenly I realized that I was in a bizzaro world. Black is white, up is down, the Patriots are a dynasty and the 49ers are rebuilding. These Patriots are dominating like the 49ers in the 80's and Tom Brady is even drawing comparisons to Joe Montana. While the 49ers will never hang a picture of Derek Smith or Scott Gragg on the outside of Monster Park, there was an eerie similarity between the old Patriots and the current 49ers.
I don't like the bizzaro world. I'm not used to being treated like a Bengal's fan. I want the respect back that 49er fans deserve. Call me sick, but I want to be heckled at the next away game I attend.
Fans of New England, I appreciate your hospitality, but I speak for all of Niner Nation when I say: Take your pitty, and shove it up you're A-gap
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