So the other day I was scrolling through the sale section of the Patriots Pro Shop, as I'm sure we all do from time to time. I noticed that they had a Chandler Jones jersey discounted heavily. Not exactly surprising. But, the following collection of throughts went through my head.
"Wow. That's cheap."
"He was a good player."
"He won a championship with the Patriots, so he'd be nice to have."
Yeah, I know. Not exactly revolutionary. You probably didn't need that look deep inside my soul there.
But, it was that last thought that strikes me. I find myself limiting my Patriots fandom to Championship winners. Case in point? I saw a really cheap John Hannah autograph on the Bay recently, and was reluctant to make a bid because he didn't even win a championship. The second greatest Patriot of all time, and I'm passing because he doesn't have a ring.
How spoiled have I become?
Sure, I know that title winners are an exclusive club, even in Boston. I know they should be revered as something special. It's just odd that I completely discount non-winners.
Odd, or maybe a little sad.
My wheelhouse as a Patriots fan was the Drew Bledsoe era. I still say he should have started the Super Bowl over Brady. I also will always wonder how he would have done if he spent his entire career under Belichick. But, when it comes to collecting Bledsoe memorabilia, I actually find myself making excuses for it. "It's ok to buy that Bledsoe helmet, he does have the one ring."
Now, some of that is a self-imposed filtering system. I know there has to be limits to things. Just like long ago I made a decision to only collect Topps cards simply because I knew I needed to trim the collection somehow. It's not that the other sets weren't worth collecting. But I needed some self control, so eliminating half the options out there was helpful. In the same way, it's a bit of self-control to eliminate players without a ring from my collection. I know Wes Welker was a great player. But, I need limits somewhere.
Right?
Do you find yourself having a "Championship Bias"?
