On Sunday night, the New England Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks in Super LX. 

The Patriots, who rolled to a 14-3 regular season record and an AFC East crown, are playing for the franchise's seventh Lombardi Trophy, but they haven't won one since the 2018 campaign. 

The Seahawks are playing for their second title and the first since 2013.

The question of the day is: If the Patriots win the title, does that have any affect on how the Boston Red Sox do business moving forward? I certainly hope so.

Make no mistake. One of the best things about the New England sports scene is the way that the athletes support each other. Seeing Celtics players and Patriots players at Red Sox games is commonplace in the summer. Patriots players at Celtics games in the winter? Also common. Bruins support? Check.

The bond between the athletes is real, but the front offices and ownership? There has to be some sibling rivalry there, right?

The big four sports teams in town compete for the same fans, for the same merchandise sales, for the same advertising dollars, and for the same television ratings. They'd all like the other to win, but the last thing they want is for one team's success to push their own organization onto the backburner with regards to fan support.

So let's hope that a potential Patriots win forces the Red Sox into bigger action.

If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, they will gain a grip on the town in a way they haven't had since Tom Brady left. Couple that with a Celtics season that has the opportunity to end in a deep playoff run and the Red Sox risk being forgotten about, especially early in the 2026 season.

There isn't a ton of time left for the Red Sox this offseason to undo any of this, but if there are moves to be made, the Sox would be well-served to make them. Getting off to a good start and re-gaining a sliver of the fan pie is important.

And moving forward? The owners and executives at Fenway should remember that the Patriots are back and on the precipice of dominating the region again. Step up to the plate when it comes to spending and player acquisition, or risk falling further behind.

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