Boston Still Strong(ish): The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Boston Sports In The Last 10 Years

It’s hard to believe that that this year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombings. Things have changed around the city both with landmarks and, of course it being Massachusetts, construction. The one thing, however, that has remained the same is how strong and resilient the city is.

Sure, the date was two days ago on April 15th, but today is Marathon Monday, Patriots’ Day, or the first day of April vacation for public schools. So most people will say today is the real anniversary of what happened.

Here’s a look at some of the good, the bad, and the ugly things that have happened since the bombings in regards to Boston sports teams.

The Good: Boston Teams Have Been In The Championship Nine Times In Ten Years

In the past 10 years since the bombings, there have been 10 World Series, 10 Super Bowls, 10 Stanley Cup Finals, and 10 NBA Finals. Boston teams have been represented nine times out of a possible 40.

Now that may be only 23%, but when you think about it, considering where larger sports cities like New York – who have only been once since 2009 – that number looks pretty large.

The Red Sox have been to – and won – the World Series twice. One in 2013, and another in October. The Patriots have won three Super Bowl Championships, and been to one other that they lost.

Overall, not bad, right? Wrong.

The Bad: Boston Teams Have Lost Almost As Many As They Have Won

While winning five championships is the good news of being to nine championships, the bad news is that they have also lost four of them – not to mention many close calls of getting to more (mostly in the Red Sox case).

The Patriots have lost only one championship opportunity, but the Celtics after surging to the top of the league in the 2021-22 season, came two wins away from their first finals win since 2009 when taking on the Golden State Warriors.

The worst offender, however, is the Bruins who lost the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks, and the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals in seven games to the St. Louis Blues – falling both times on home ice.

This season, they come into the playoffs as the Presidents’ Trophy winners, and have not lost more than two in a row all season. They look to right the ship and hoist the cup this year.

The Ugly: Multiple Losing Seasons, Tom Brady Leaving/Retiring, Jacoby Ellsbury To The Yankees, etc.

Okay, maybe there’s been a lot of ugly, but it’s hard to say it outweighs the positive. There have been definitely things to look at, but the first ugly thing you have to look at is the Red Sox.

Sure, in 2021, they were two wins away from the World Series, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the season before, Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom, traded away Mookie Betts and hoped that the trade would be worth it. Not to mention only making the playoffs once since 2018.

Now that may not look pretty, but what looks super ugly is Jacoby Ellsbury leaving for the New York Yankees and Tom Brady leaving the Patriots period. Sure, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is not as bad as if he left for a division rival, but still. Both looked like players that would start, and end, their careers in Boston, but it appeared fans were mistaken.

Things may be looking slightly up for both the Patriots and Red Sox given recent moves, but only time will tell how it shakes out.

Overall Assessment Of Boston Sports In The Last 10 Years

While we’re just getting started with baseball, football has barely ended, and we’re just getting started with NBA and NHL playoffs, there is still plenty of sports to be played this year.

All four of the major sports teams have had their shining moments in the past 10 years, and, again, being in the championship 23% of the time is nothing to sneeze at by any stretch at all.

What happens this year, remains to be seen.