The New England Patriots have been a dominant force in the NFL for over a decade, winning six Super Bowls between 2002 and 2019. As with any successful team, the Patriots have become the subject of countless memes and jokes over the years. But in 2023, as the team struggles to regain its former glory, the once-popular genre of Super Bowl Patriots memes has all but disappeared from the internet.
Table of Contents
The Early Years
Back in the early days of the Patriots dynasty, memes were just starting to become a thing. Fans would share images of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick with clever captions or add text to photos of memorable moments from Super Bowl victories. The humor was often silly and lighthearted, poking fun at the team’s success in a good-natured way.
“I remember seeing this one meme of Brady holding up a Lombardi Trophy with the caption ‘Another one for the mantle’,” says longtime Patriots fan and internet meme enthusiast Sarah Johnson. “It was just funny because he had so many of them by that point.”
The Peak
As the Patriots continued to win Super Bowls, the memes only got more creative and widespread. Memes featuring Brady’s deflated football scandal, Rob Gronkowski’s partying habits, and Belichick’s stoic demeanor became internet sensations, shared by fans and non-fans alike.
“I think the peak of Patriots memes was probably around the time of the ’28-3′ comeback against the Falcons,” says internet culture expert and meme historian John Smith. “There were so many memes about that game, and the Patriots’ ability to come back from any deficit. It really captured the spirit of the team at the time.”
The Decline
But as the Patriots’ success on the field began to wane, so did the popularity of their memes. Fans grew tired of the same old jokes about Brady’s age and Belichick’s grumpiness, and the team’s struggles in the post-Brady era left little to joke about.
“It’s hard to make fun of a team that’s not winning anymore,” says Johnson. “And it’s not like the Patriots are a lovable underdog that people want to root for. They’re just kind of there.”
The Legacy
Despite their decline in popularity, Super Bowl Patriots memes will always have a place in internet history. They captured a moment in time when one NFL team dominated the league like no other, and they provided a source of humor and entertainment for millions of football fans around the world.
“I think the legacy of Patriots memes will be that they were a reflection of a team that was both loved and hated,” says Smith. “They were a way to express both admiration and frustration with a team that was so dominant for so long.”
Whether the Patriots will ever return to their former glory remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: the internet will never forget the memes that came with their success.
