When the New England Patriots’ dynasty began with the team’s victory in Super Bowl 36, the world looked drastically different. The nation was still recovering from the September 11 attacks, Usher’s U Got it Bad was sitting atop the charts, and the technological advances of the past decade — from YouTube to virtually all of social media to Pats Pulpit — had not yet seen the light of day. While much has changed, the Patriots ruling the NFL did not.
This continued success helped the team’s following grow enormously over the years, from a mostly local but loyal group of followers to one of the biggest in all of football both across the United States and abroad.