ATLANTA -- Certainly the excitement for the Falcons is building in Atlanta across the country.
Falcons Nation has grown considerably in the last few days with the Falcons making it to Super Bowl LI in Houston to face the New England Patriots, but some of these new fans may have an ulterior motive.
Who is the world’s biggest Falcons fan?
You might think it’s their smooth-dancing owner. You might think it’s Ludacris or Usher. You’d probably assume it’s someone who was steeped in Sunday’s sea of red and black at the Georgia Dome.
“I am,” Jerel Lyons said.
“It might be [our] dad,” Mario and Stephen claimed. “I was born and raised in Atlanta; I love my teams. Anything that says Atlanta, I’m down for it.”
But type “Biggest Falcons fan” into Twitter, and you’ll find some new contenders for the crown.
“A couple of folks saying they’re gonna be a big fan for two weeks,” Nathan Farno observed while scrolling through his phone.
Why so temporary? It seems many people’s newfound love for the Falcons stems for the hatred of their Super Bowl opponents.
“It seems like everybody is trying to go for the Falcons because everyone is against Tom Brady,” Mario and Stephen said.
One neutral fan on Twitter said she “simply can’t bear watching another Patriots win.”
There’s even a meme of a pie chart, un-sourced, stacking up actual Falcons fans versus those who just want to see the Patriots get beat.
“The Patriots are an easy team to hate,” Nathan Farno said.
“I want the Patriots to lose too, so the more we scream, the less they’re gonna win,” Lyons said.
We, of course, know better. The Falcons may have a few more bands on their wagon, but the ones driving the train? They run on love.
“Never too late to hop on, but ride it out,” Lyons said.
As for the Falcons’ newest “biggest fans”? We can’t give them the crown, but for a few weeks, we’ll take them in the kingdom.
