Dream Decade for a Boston Sports Fan

Ten years ago today if you had told me that Boston would be the most successful sports city in America going into 2010 I would have laughed. Then I probably would have gotten a little angry at such a cruel joke.  However, after 6 titles in the 4 major sports this decade, that is the reality.  We Boston fans love seeing the glass half empty, but we really need to recognize this past decade for what it was; the greatest decade for Boston sports ever.

Let's start off with Boston's favorite team the Red Soxxxxx. No fan base(besides maybe the Cubs) was more tortured than Red Sox nation up until 2004.  I was attending Umass at the time, and was amazed how serious and loyal people from New England were about the Red Sox.  You really need to be around it to comprehend the level of passion they have for their team.  When the Red Sox came back to beat the Yankees in the greatest come back in sports history, mass hysteria ensued around New England.  Sure, they had one more series to go, but nothing was stopping that train.  With another title two years later, the Red Sox were no longer the loveable underdogs, but a team expected to win a title every year.

Now on to the dynasty of the decade.  Say what you want about the Lakers or Spurs in the NBA, but everyone knows football is by far the hardest sport to build a dynasty.  Yet, the 2000's(what are we calling that decade anyway?) Patriots were just that.  Three Super Bowl wins in four appearances and a near perfect season made the Patriots the model franchise in the NFL.  Sure, a lot of the haters will remember them for Spygate and 18-1, but what the Patriots accomplished in that decade could never have been predicted.  Say what you want about Brady, but for a 6th round pick I don't think he's done half bad for himself.  As for that unfortunate Super Bowl game against the Giants, I'm still in denial about that one.  Patriots win that game 8 out of 10 but just got outplayed that day.  Anyway, whether you love or hate the Pats, the past decade put them in the national spotlight, which could not be said for any decades before.

Now on to my favorite sports team, the Boston Celtics.  Sure, until the 2007-2008 season the Celtics were mired in mediocrity.  However, the 2008 title victory over the hated Lakers was worth it.  The Celtics were the 3rd wheel in Boston with the success of the Red Sox and Patriots.  But on July 31,2007 that all changed. The addition of Kevin Garnett brought back Celtic Pride and that whole season was a magical ride.  My whole life I had heard about the great Celtics teams of the past, but had never witnessed more than a Conference Finals trip from my beloved team.  Winning a title that year was worth all the years of frustration. The fact that we beat the Lakers made it even more sweet.  That Celtics title was worth more to me than all the other Boston sports championships combined.

All in all I was ridiculously spoiled this past decade in terms of sports success. Along with the 6 titles my Boston teams won, my favorite college basketball team, the UNC Tarheels, won 2 titles and were in most people's minds the college basketball team of the decade.  People need to cherish their teams success. Too often we think our teams will always be good, but sports is cyclical.  The next decade my teams might be terrible but that will never erase the great decade that was the 2000's.

Happy New Year Everyone!