Patriots' QB Drake Maye at a London press conference on Oct. 18, 2024. Patriots’ QB Drake Maye at a London press conference on Oct. 18, 2024. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images.)

A strange element of the NFL’s international games (which hit five this year, and look set to expand further) is how they lead to league players answering questions from international media. Sometimes that produces remarkable results. The latest case there comes from New England Patriots’ recently-anointed starting QB Drake Maye’s response to a press conference question from a British reporter on why fans there should root for his team ahead of their clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars at London’s Wembley Stadium Sunday:

“First off, I think it comes with the team name, New England. I think it’s easy for UK fans to be attracted to that. Our colors are pretty sweet, they represent a lot of different things. And from there, I’m excited for the team, we’re going to come up, and we’ve got a lot of great seasons ahead. So shoutout to the fans that are already Patriots’ fans over here, and look forward to having some more.”

It should very much be noted that “New England” was one of the most prominent regions in the 18th-century American Revolution against English rule. And the “Patriots” name directly pays homage to that. Indeed, the team history (dating back to a 1959 founding in the old AFL and the 1960 hiring of Lou Saban as their first head coach) is quite clear on their revolutionary connections, and on their “pretty sweet” colors’ connections to that movement.

From a Wikipedia summary of the team history on its webpage:

The most popular choice – and the one that [team owner Billy] Sullivan selected – was the “Boston Patriots,” with “Patriots” referring to the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution and in July 1776 declared the United States of America an independent nation, which heavily involved the then-colony of Massachusetts. Immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell of The Boston Globe developed the “Pat Patriot” logo.

So, yeah, “New England” is not a statement of connection with England, especially with many of the colonists there being early firebrands against Britain. And the team continues to embrace that history of rebellion against Britain, including with the “Militia” reenactors they often showcase. So somewhere, King George III is rolling in his grave after these comments from Maye. (While he’s not talking to trees.)

Now, the Patriots playing in England is not Maye’s fault or their team’s fault. Rather, it’s a reflection of the NFL’s focus on growing international games. But still, Maye did not have to try to connect “New England” to “England.” And in doing so, he cast aspersions on his degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in the process.

At least he studied “business administration, operations, and management” there, not history.

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About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.