Patriots to share in celebration at Red Sox home opener today

The Red Sox have graciously invited the New England Patriots to their home opener Tuesday to celebrate both Boston teams’ championships last year.

As has been the case for much of the past two decades, it’s a great time to be alive if you’re a Boston sports fan.

The New England Patriots have won six championships in the NFL since 2001. During that same timespan, the Boston Red Sox have won four World Series titles. And in the NBA and the NHL, the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins have each won one championship apiece.

Combined, that means the city of Boston (and the New England area at large if you’re considering the Patriots) has celebrated 12 different championships in American professional sports since the turn of the millennium. No other city comes close to that count; Los Angeles ranks second since the year 2000 with seven championships (two by the NHL’s Kings and five by the NBA’s Lakers).

As a matter of fact, Boston sports teams winning championships has become so routine of late that they’re beginning to combine the celebrations. On Tuesday, the Red Sox (who defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series last October) will celebrate their championship during their home opener – and they’ve invited the Patriots to join in the festivities and be honored at the same time.

New England also vanquished a team from the City of Angels to win its championship, besting the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 13-3 in Super Bowl 53 last February.

While some have criticized the Sox for choosing to split their celebration with the Patriots, many Bostonians are thrilled at the prospect of honoring not just one but two home team champions at the same time. After all, both franchises celebrated their victories with individual parades down the streets of Boston, where they were greeted and cheered on by tens of thousands of fans.

The Patriots also honored the Red Sox before a Sunday Night Football primetime matchup against the Green Bay Packers last season, shortly after the Sox dismantled the Dodgers in the Fall Classic. Red Sox manager Alex Cora attended the ceremony and brought the World Series trophy onto the field at Gillette Stadium to a raucous ovation at the time.

What do you think? Should the Red Sox have opted to do their own celebration at their home opener (and perhaps honored the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory at another game), or is it a fun idea to see two Boston franchises celebrating their championships together at the same time?

Let us know in the comments section below!