I’m a Spoiled Sports Fan

The Case for New England Greatness

Ticket stub from Captain Carl’s 3000 hit game I attended at Fenway.

This topic comes up all the time, and everyone has an opinion depending on where they live. I’ll admit it: as a New England sports fan, I figured I was just being biased about my region. But then I look at the players from our major franchises, and honestly, you’d be hard‑pressed to argue they aren’t among the greatest in their respective sports — at the very least, top three.

Take baseball. Ted Williams was the last player to hit .400 in a season. That’s legendary. Of course, New Yorkers will counter with their endless army of Yankee greats, and I can’t argue too hard there. But still — Ted was Ted.

Basketball? The Celtics alone could fill a Hall of Fame wing. Larry Bird could do it all, and Bill Russell… well, he won 11 championships in 13 years. Eleven! Until Michael Jordan came along, it was common knowledge that you built a basketball team around the center. And yet, when the game was on the line, most people would still say: give the ball to Bird.

Hockey fans will push back with Wayne Gretzky, and fair enough — “The Great One” is untouchable in many ways. But Bobby Orr didn’t just play the game; he changed it. Eight consecutive Norris Trophies, and the only defenseman ever to lead the league in scoring. Even Emile Francis, coach of the Rangers in 1972, admitted, “Orr just proved to be too much… It was a shame. We did it all except win it all.”

And then there’s football. Tom Brady. Do I even need to explain? Championships, records, longevity — he’s the GOAT, hands down. No debate, no footnotes, no asterisks.

Indeed, greatness is difficult to measure across generations, and every fan base has its own heroes. But when you stack up Williams, Russell, Bird, Orr, and Brady… that’s a pretty solid list. Call it bias if you want, but I call it New England bragging rights.

Spoiled by Championships

Other than Ted Williams (and a bit of Bill Russell), those legends were just outside my age range. So I decided to look at pure championships by sport to see how spoiled I really was by what I did witness.

At first, I started scribbling down all the titles from the major sports over my 62 years. Then I thought: don’t be stupid — let AI do the heavy lifting. So I asked Gemini to tally up the last 60 years across MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL, broken down by regions like “New England” or “New York.”

The result? Nine distinct regions. And guess what — New England, with fewer teams than the New York region, actually came out on top with more championships. That’s right: fewer teams, more titles.

So yeah… turns out I wasn’t just biased. I really was spoiled. Decades of watching greatness, and the numbers back me up. Sorry, New York — sometimes less really is more.

To really put “spoiled” into perspective: imagine being 8 years old when Tom Brady and the Patriots began their insane 19‑year run. That kid wouldn’t see an awful Patriots team or season until age 27.

🏈 Tom Brady’s Patriots Career Timeline

2000 – Draft & Rookie Year

•         Drafted in the 6th round, 199th overall by the Patriots.

•         Backup QB behind Drew Bledsoe.

2001 – The Beginning of the Dynasty

•         Bledsoe injured in Week 2; Brady takes over.

•         Leads Patriots to Super Bowl XXXVI victory over the Rams (20–17).

•         First Super Bowl win in franchise history.

2003–2004 – Back‑to‑Back Titles

•         2003: Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVIII vs. Panthers (32–29).

•         2004: Patriots win Super Bowl XXXIX vs. Eagles (24–21).

•         Brady earns two Super Bowl MVPs during this stretch.

2007 – Perfect Regular Season (Almost)

•         Patriots go 16–0 in the regular season.

•         Lose Super Bowl XLII to the Giants (17–14).

•         Brady wins NFL MVP.

2011 – Return to the Super Bowl

•         Patriots lose Super Bowl XLVI to the Giants again (21–17).

2014 – Super Bowl Redemption

•         Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX vs. Seahawks (28–24).

•         Famous Malcolm Butler interception seals the win.

•         Brady named Super Bowl MVP.

2016 – The Greatest Comeback

•         Patriots win Super Bowl LI vs. Falcons (34–28 OT).

•         Down 28–3, Brady leads historic comeback.

•         Super Bowl MVP again.

2017 – Another Super Bowl Appearance

•         Patriots lose Super Bowl LII to Eagles (41–33).

•         Brady throws for a Super Bowl record 505 yards.

2018 – Sixth Ring

•         Patriots win Super Bowl LIII vs. Rams (13–3).

•         Brady’s sixth title with New England.

🏆 Summary of Patriots Championships with Brady

•         Super Bowl Wins (6): 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018.

•         AFC Championships (9): 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018.

Defined Major Sports Regions (Last 60 years: 1964-2023)

1. Greater New York / Tri-State Area

· Teams: Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, Devils

· Championships:

· MLB: Yankees (7), Mets (2) = 9

· NFL: Giants (4), Jets (1 – 1968) = 5

· NBA: Knicks (2), Nets (0) = 2

· NHL: Rangers (1), Islanders (4), Devils (3) = 8

· TOTAL: 24

2. Greater Los Angeles / Southern California

· Teams: Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks, Rams (2021-), Chargers (2021-)

· Championships:

· MLB: Dodgers (6), Angels (1) = 7

· NFL: Rams (1 – 2021) = 1

· NBA: Lakers (12), Clippers (0) = 12

· NHL: Kings (2), Ducks (1) = 3

· TOTAL: 23

3. Greater Boston / New England

· Teams: Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins

· Championships:

· MLB: Red Sox (4)

· NFL: Patriots (6)

· NBA: Celtics (12)

· NHL: Bruins (2)

· TOTAL: 24

4. San Francisco Bay Area

· Teams: Giants, Athletics, 49ers, Warriors, Sharks

· Championships:

· MLB: Giants (3), Athletics (4) = 7

· NFL: 49ers (5)

· NBA: Warriors (4)

· NHL: Sharks (0)

· TOTAL: 16

5. Greater Chicago

· Teams: Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks

· Championships:

· MLB: Cubs (1), White Sox (1) = 2

· NFL: Bears (1)

· NBA: Bulls (6)

· NHL: Blackhawks (3)

· TOTAL: 12

6. Greater Philadelphia / Delaware Valley

· Teams: Phillies, Eagles, 76ers, Flyers

· Championships:

· MLB: Phillies (2)

· NFL: Eagles (1)

· NBA: 76ers (2)

· NHL: Flyers (2)

· TOTAL: 7

7. Texas Triangle (Dallas-Ft. Worth / Houston / San Antonio)

· Teams: Rangers, Astros, Cowboys, Texans, Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, Stars

· Championships:

· MLB: Rangers (1), Astros (2) = 3

· NFL: Cowboys (5)

· NBA: Mavericks (1), Rockets (2), Spurs (5) = 8

· NHL: Stars (1)

· TOTAL: 17

8. Great Lakes (Detroit & Cleveland Combined Markets)

· Teams: Tigers, Guardians, Lions, Browns, Pistons, Cavaliers, Red Wings

· Championships:

· MLB: Tigers (2), Guardians (0) = 2

· NFL: Lions (0), Browns (0) = 0

· NBA: Pistons (3), Cavaliers (1) = 4

· NHL: Red Wings (4)

· TOTAL: 10

9. Florida (Miami & Tampa Combined Markets)

· Teams: Marlins, Rays, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Heat, Magic, Panthers, Lightning

· Championships:

· MLB: Marlins (2), Rays (0) = 2

· NFL: Dolphins (2), Buccaneers (2) = 4

· NBA: Heat (3), Magic (0) = 3

· NHL: Panthers (0), Lightning (3) = 3

· TOTAL: 12

Final Ranking by Major Sports Region (1964-2023)

1. TIE: Greater Boston / New England & Greater New York / Tri-State Area — 24 Championships

2. Greater Los Angeles / Southern California — 23 Championships

3. Texas Triangle — 17 Championships

4. San Francisco Bay Area — 16 Championships

5. TIE: Greater Chicago & Florida — 12 Championships

6. Great Lakes (Detroit-Cleveland) — 10 Championships

7. Greater Philadelphia — 7 Championships

Key Takeaways:

· Boston’s Dominance: On a per-team basis, Boston is the undisputed champion. With only 4 teams, it has won 24 titles—an average of 6 per franchise. It is the most title-dense sports region in America.

· New York’s Volume: New York has the same number of titles spread across 9 teams, showing breadth but less concentration. The Islanders’ dynasty and the Yankees’ success are the pillars.

· LA’s Laker Effect: Nearly half of LA’s titles (12 of 23) come from the Lakers alone. Without them, the region falls far behind.

· The Texas Power: The Texas Triangle is a powerhouse, ranking 4th nationally, driven by the Cowboys, Spurs, and recent Astros success.

· The Chicago Paradox: Heavily reliant on the 1990s Bulls and recent Blackhawks. Its baseball teams have been historically title-poor in this era.

· Florida’s Rise: Almost all of Florida’s titles have come since 1997, marking it as the modern powerhouse.

So, who wins? If you value title concentration and per-franchise success, Greater Boston is the clear winner. If you look at raw total titles across a massive, fragmented market, Greater New York ties them. Los Angeles is an extremely close third, almost entirely on the back of the Lakers’ sustained excellence.

· Northeast: (New England + Middle Atlantic) – MA, CT, RI, NH, VT, ME, NY, NJ, PA

· Midwest: (East North Central + West North Central) – OH, IN, IL, MI, WI, MN, IA, MO, KS, NE, SD, ND

· South: (South Atlantic + East South Central + West South Central) – DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV, AL, KY, MS, TN, AR, LA, OK, TX

· West: (Mountain + Pacific) – MT, ID, WY, CO, NM, AZ, UT, NV, WA, OR, CA, AK, HI

Timeframe: Last 60 full seasons (1964-2023 inclusive).

Leagues: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL.

Teams: Only current U.S.-based franchises in those leagues. We count championships for the city/region where the team played when it won the title. (e.g., Lakers titles in Minneapolis go to the Midwest, titles in Los Angeles go to the West).

This is Fenway Park. So many great memories here and the Fenway Frank! The image is a free stock image from https://www.pexels.com