I still remember it like yesterday. It was December of 2019. Family friends were coming to our house as Christmas was around the corner. They were really close friends so I was excited to see them after they moved to Boston. It was a Saturday afternoon and everyone was in a festive mood. I could remember the smell of baking cookies as we were watching a movie, but there was one thing I couldn’t stop thinking about. 

We were going to a Patriots game. 

Tomorrow was Sunday and the Patriots were playing the Chiefs at home in Foxborough. At this point in time I’d probably wanted to go to a game for a while. I’d never been to a football game so this one was going to be really exciting. I liked watching football with my dad on Sundays so when I asked if we could go to a game he was all in.

I went to sleep that night so excited for the next day. I was thinking about the matchup between the top teams in their divisions. I knew this was going to be a great game. 

It woke up that day with jitters. Afterall, I wanted the Patriots to win since we were going to drive three and a half hours to watch them. The game was at 5 o’clock so we left the house at around 1:00. We wanted to get there a bit early so we could eat. The weather in Foxborough on that day was around 10℉, which we knew since it’s December in Massachusetts. It was indescribably cold. My dad hates the cold weather so it was a hassle to get him to come in mid December. I remember wearing two layers of pants and shirts with a flannel layer. I also had a sweatshirt and a Jersey ontop. There was one thing I would not realize until we were at the stadium.

My dad and I got to the stadium about 1 and a half hours early. We walked around the stadium, saw the championship banners, players getting on the field, and then we got some food. When we went to get food we wanted to have something that could keep us warm. We got some warm sandwiches and then we went to our seats. When we got to our seats it felt even colder. We were on the lower level of the arena and there was a lot of wind in an exposed area. 

As time went on my feet started to freeze. I realized that I had only put one layer of socks on. I should have double layered or something because the concrete on the ground was practically frozen. 

The game starts and the Patriots get off to a good start. They go up a quick 7-0. Then the Chiefs answer back with 2 touchdowns and a field goal. The score was 7-20, Chiefs at halftime. This is when I started to get a bit nervous. Were the Patriots going to come back? Surely, they had Tom Brady, one of the greatest comeback players in History. 

The second half started and this is where everything went wrong. There is one play I still can get out of my head. The Chiefs got the ball at the beginning of the half. At this point the Patriots needed a stop on defense to avoid being down by 20+. As the Chiefs were going down the field Patrick Mahomes threw the ball to Travis Kelce. It looked like it was going to be a first down. Right then a defender slams into him and forces a fumble, the whole stadium knew it. He returns the fumble for a touchdown and the crowd goes wild. Then at the corner of my eye I see the official signaling a dead ball and moving the ball back. They said his knee was down before contact. In My head I was thinking, how the refs could screw such a big call up. How could they fluctuate the game by these terrible calls. They reviewed it and saw it was a fumble but the ball was given to the Patriots where the loose ball was. 

It should have been a touchdown…we all saw it on the big screen. 

The crowd was screaming, “Ref, YOU SUCK!!!”

This was not the only incident of the referees ruining the game. On one of the Patriots drives toward the end of the fourth quarter an easy touchdown was called back. The refs claimed the receiver stepped out on the sideline before diving in for the TD. The whole crowd saw grass between the players cleats on the big screen. 

The Patriots ended up losing this game 23-16. I felt like the fans and the team were cheated. How could the refs sway the outcome of the game by THEIR mistakes. The game should be decided by the better team winning. We drove home silent. Speechless. They would’ve won. Should’ve won. Now thinking about it I realize it’s not about which team won. My dad and I still got to spend time and watch the game together. My first football game with my dad.