There is trouble in paradise. The Paradise being the Tampa Bay Buccaneer fandom. It is the ‘new’ breed versus the ‘old’ breed. Except a lot of the ‘new’ breed’ are quite old. A lot of the ‘old’ breed are quite young. The trouble is centered around none other than Tom Brady. Now TB12 has nothing personally to do with brouhaha. He more than likely doesn’t even know that it is happening. But battle lines have been drawn up by Buc fans who were Bucs fans before Tom Brady. Against the Bucs fans who became Bucs fans when TB12 became a Buc. Petty… yes. Underneath it all the theme of loyalty is used to justify the resentment. Loyalty to a team/corporation as opposed to loyalty to the player/worker. Those who were Bucs fans before Tom Brady say their loyalty to the corporation is true loyalty. Though if we polled these same people they would admit that a corporation is NOT loyal to anyone other than their shareholders. They cannot be loyal to their workers or consumers of their product. Deriving a profit is how they stay in business. To stake one’s character and existence on a concept (loyalty) that is not reciprocated is not logical. But one is free to do what they want with their life. Where it gets sticky is when they want others to think like they do or face ostracization. That is called peer pressure.
Bucs fans who came with Brady are a different breed. They have chosen the player over the team in the fandom hierarchy. The worker over the corporation. But there is even more to it. They see the worker as a human of value. Not something that can and should be cast away at a whim. They see Tom Brady, a man who gave the majority of his life to a corporation, treated shabbily and discarded without reason. Tom Brady, the GOAT, was flushed down the toilet like a dead goldfish. Except Tom was still alive. The ignominy of the act was embarrassing to all who had believed in the Patriot way. They realized that the player has value. He makes the team what it is. Football is played in a harsh environment. But the players deserve some dignity. They know that what happened was no way to treat a person. Whether they are a football player, a police officer, a trash collector, or a receptionist. They know this could be them. They want Tom Brady to succeed because he represents the individual in them that survives no matter what is thrown their way.
All of this intrigue is happening despite the fact the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on top of the football world. They performed in an amazing way last season. Going through teams that were slated to beat them. Laying waste to the best team in the NFL in the final game. Winning the highest prize. The Super Bowl. This drama is happening despite the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are favored to do the same thing this year. Crazy isn’t it. But as the spiral spins, so do the days of our lives. Humans can make a drama out of anything.
Go BUCS