What New England sports fans had to say about their teams in annual survey
Here are the results from the New England Sports survey.
The past year in New England sports has been a memorable one. And a newly released survey is painting a picture of how this year has affected fans’ opinions of the local teams.
In this year’s edition of the New England Sports Survey, conducted by Channel Media and Market Research, over 16,000 local fans expressed their feelings about players, teams, and coaches. The Patriots earned the most votes in several categories including favorite sports team, best ownership (Robert Kraft) and leadership (Bill Belichick), most improved team in a year, and most likely to win another championship. The Bruins received the distinction of the year’s worst sports moment. Here are the results:
Overall team grades and top votes:
Patriots: A+
- Most admired: Tom Brady; Runner up: Julian Edelman
- How long will Brady be the quarterback: 2 years (50 percent), 3 years (29 percent)
- Most disappointing player: Cyrus Jones
- Player they desire the most to join the team: Patrick Mahomes II
- Favorite player to win a championship: Tom Brady
- Least favorite player to win a championship: Darrelle Revis
Improvements: Pay Tom Brady, treat Tom Brady like the GOAT, keep/extend Bill Belichick, find a real and viable replacement for Tom Brady, secure solid wide receivers, sign good tight ends
Red Sox: C
- Most admired: Mookie Betts; Runner up: Xander Bogaerts
- Most disappointing: Chris Sale
- Player most desired: Shane Greene
- Favorite player to win a championship: David Ortiz
- Least favorite player to win a championship: Daisuke Matsuzaka
Improvements: Trade for a solid closer, acquire/trade for better middle relief pitching, improve pitching staff, extend Mookie Betts contract, avoid long term signings that are too expensive
Celtics: B
- Most admired: Marcus Smart; Runner up: Al Horford
- Most disappointing player: Kyrie Irving
- Player they desire the most to join the team: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Favorite player to win a championship: Bill Russell
- Least favorite player to win a championship: Rajon Rondo
Improvements: Play unselfish basketball, get a big game, stronger game strategy, play defense, move faster down the court.
Bruins: A-
- Most admired: Patrice Bergeron; Runner up: Brad Marchand
- Most disappointing player: David Backes
- Player they desire the most to join the team: Connor McDavid
- Favorite player to win a championship: Bobby Orr
- Least favorite player to win a championship: Tyler Seguin
Improvements: Stronger puck movement, be more physical/tougher on the ice, don’t let the best players go unsigned, more physical players, acquire a true goal scorer/sharpshooter
NE Revolution: B+
- Most admired: Cristian Penilla — runner up: Diego Fagundez
- Most disappointing player: Gustavo Bou
- Player they desire the most to join the team: Cristiano Ronaldo
Things they can do to improve attendance: Have a “soccer only” stadium, more media coverage, keep Bruce Arena, more marketing of the team, get more well known players/European stars
