Burlington weighs in on “Deflate-gate”

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Elise Amendola/Associated Press Courtesy Of Bleacher Report

Brian Dooley

On January 18, 2015 the New England Patriots demolished Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts 7-45. This means the New England Patriots are the 2015 AFC Champions and will be attending the illustrious Super Bowl on Sunday, February 1st. It was a fair win by a good football team. Or was it? Prior to the game, the Colts reported that the footballs that the Patriots provided were underinflated, which is a major violation of the rules.

In Burlington, most residents either love the Patriots or hate the Patriots. Most have been fans for generations. But some are either New York Giants fans, a strong rival of New England, or fans of the New York Jets. In regards to deflated footballs, long time Giants fan and resident of Farmington Susan Smilosky says, “It is a poor example for our youth.” Smilosky added that “They didn’t even need to cheat, they were going to win anyway.” Many football fans agree that it was a poor decision on behalf of New England. English teacher, Matt Krampitz called it a “morally icky” thing to do and that “true competitors should always strive for an even playing field for fairness”. Jets fans also feel the same. Lewis Mills student, Kathryn Rohner, says “It’s not a surprise. They have done it once and for them to do it again makes sense.” What Rohner is referring to is that in 2007 the New England Patriots were caught video taping the St. Louis Rams practice before the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, there are New England fans that think that the whole point of deflating the footballs was meaningless. Patriot’s season ticket holder, Mike Lawrence, said “Even if they did deflate the balls, it would not have mattered because they ran the ball the entire night.” New England rushed for three touchdowns and Brady threw three as well. “It did not affect the game, but I still want to see some hard evidence,” said history teacher Dennis Fowler. “I want the NFL to do a thorough investigation of this,” said Fowler. Like Mike Lawrence, some fans still have an enormous amount of faith in their team. A prideful Andrew Kucharski said, “Were still going to the Super Bowl.”

For all football fans, Burlington residents alike, the Super Bowl is the most exhilarating game of the entire season. However, many are worried that “deflate-gate” is going to overshadow the Super Bowl. Smilosky is extremely upset saying, “They are ruining the fun of the Super Bowl.” Similarly Fowler, “I hope it goes away because I want to enjoy the Super Bowl.”