As a devoted Boston sports fan, I may be one of the few who are thrilled to see another Tom Brady Super Bowl.

Widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time, I’ve been blessed to witness five Brady-led championship parades and the chance for a sixth on the way.

Beyond the bolstering Brady-Belichick empire, fellow Boston fans have borne witness to four Red Sox World Series titles in 15 years, in addition to one apiece from both the Celtics and the Bruins.

Boston sports teams have had seemingly uninterrupted success for the past two decades. For the past 13 consecutive years, a Massachusetts-rooted professional sports organization has reached a championship round of the playoffs.

Yet, while every modern sports city was chasing Boston’s abundance of success, a former sports superpower has emerged as a contemporary contender.

The Los Angeles Lakers thrived under the era of Kobe while L.A. celebrated with two recent Stanley Cup championships handed down by the Kings.

Even with substantial success in the Staples Center, Boston has undoubtedly always had an upper hand on the title of “greatest sports city” due to its reigning dominance on the football field.

But as times have changed, Hollywood relies on a new king on the hardwood and has now proven its stripes on the astroturf with not one, but two L.A.-rooted NFL playoff teams.

You also can’t forget this past World Series which featured the LA Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox.

As if history was bound to repeat itself once again, America is in the midst of its fifth Boston-LA. championship in the past 10 years.

The only difference?

This time around, the L.A. Rams, much like the other 30 teams in the NFL, have a pipe dream to dethrone the brilliant Brady-Belichick duo.

For the third straight year, the New England Patriots surfaced as AFC Champions with hopes of one more win to notch the highest amount of Super Bowl wins in NFL history.

While Brady insists that he’ll continue on after this season, are we in the midst of the next great sports rivalry or just the passing of a torch?

In reality, it’s neither.

Boston-L.A. rivalries are deeply rooted in disgust and hate in the forefront for fans. However, this Super Bowl doesn’t feel like a rivalry.

Frankly, it’s just another team hoping to halt the freight train that Belichick and Brady continue to fuel.

Yes, there have been successful teams along the way, such as Nick Foles and the 2018 Eagles, but Brady just keeps on trucking.

In all honesty, I think Belichick threw that Super Bowl on purpose when he didn’t play Malcolm Butler, but hey, that’s just a conspiracy theory.

Even when Brady loses, it doesn’t really feel like a loss. He’s been atop the league for the past eight seasons, so why is anyone surprised that the Patriots are here again?

All year, analysts have doubted New England and disputed another Super Bowl appearance, yet, once again, here we are.

Don’t be fooled. This is no new rivalry. This is no passing of the torch.

This is not the end of the Brady-Belichick dynasty. Win or lose, rain or shine, the Patriots will be back next year.

There has never been another head coach-superstar duo like Brady-Belichick, and there won’t be for years to come.

While Sean McVay has dazzled in just two years at the helm, and Jared Goff has shown great promise and taken significant strides, be weary to label this as another Boston-L.A. rivalry.

Boston has success rooted in gritty play and an uncompromising mindset that is unsatisfied without success.

Los Angeles sports resemble entertainment instead of dedication and flashy play rather than tenacity.

It’s been a fun ride for the Rams, but better luck when Brady retires.

The Patriots will take this one 31-27, as experience will once again prevail.

A version of this article appeared on p. 8 of the Jan. 31, 2019 edition of the Daily Nexus.

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