2015 started off with a bang for Boston when the U.S. Olympic Committee announced the city won the U.S. bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games. That was soon followed by the jubilation of a Patriots Super Bowl win, with golden boy Tom Brady leading the charge.
And then it started to snow. And snow. And for weeks on end, Boston's paralyzed transit system was publicly revealed for what it really is - disastrously damaged and outdated.
Meanwhile, the Olympics had been slowly unraveling, culminating in Monday's unceremonious dumping by the USOC. But wait - things got even worse for Boston's image.
Tuesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld Tom Brady's Deflategate four-game suspension, followed by news that Brady had destroyed his cell phone, resulting in headlines like, from the Indianapolis Star, "QB enters ranks of cheating, lying, shameless athletes;" from The New York Daily News, "You Phoney;" and from the New York Post, "Deflategate Bombshell: Tom destroyed phone."
"It's not good if you're wearing your Bruschi jersey and you're flying to Chicago or Atlanta or whatever - you're going to hear it - I mean, you know, 'cheaters,'" said Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy. "It's bad for their national image. Some of it's rooted in jealousy, but they keep giving their enemies weapons to use against them."
"Take a look at all the folks in the NFL who have abused their children and beaten their wives and committed felonies," said former Boston City Councilor Larry DiCara. "I think those are the folks they should spend their time chasing."
As for losing the Olympic bid, for those in cities around the country who felt Boston let it slip away, Shaughnessey disagrees.
Massachusetts
The latest news from around the state
"In my view, it makes us look smarter and wiser for saying no to the Olympics," he said.
"Like the Olympics, this, too will pass," added DiCara.
