“Titletown”: A History of Boston’s Sports Victories
By VICTORIA CHOO ‘21
On October 28, 2018, millions of people watched as the Boston Red Sox won their fourth World Series in fifteen years. Beating the Dodgers in a 4-1 series, the Red Sox took the Commissioner's Trophy for the city of Boston. This championship was Boston’s 11th combined sports title in the 21st century for the four major American sports. It is no surprise that many refer to Boston as the 21st century “Titletown” for professional sports.
Boston’s winning streak started when the New England Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI in the 2001 season. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20-17 in order to take the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl win. Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48 yard field goal to lead the Pats to victory. Quarterback Tom Brady was named MVP after leading the Patriots to their 11-5 record in the 2001 season. The Patriots went on to win four additional titles in the 21st century, all led by Quarterback Tom Brady. The Pats beat the Panthers 32-29 in the 2003 season’s Super Bowl, earning Brady his second ring and MVP award. Again, in the 2004 season, the Pats beat the Eagles 24-21 for a consecutive Super Bowl win. This time, wide receiver Deion Branch was named MVP for his 133 receiving yards.
The Patriots passed the torch to the Red Sox, who, having not won since 1918, won the 2004 World Series, breaking the 86 year “curse.” The Sox beat the Cardinals in a four game sweep. Despite having four errors in the first two games, the Red Sox won both games and then went on to win the next two games in Arizona. After a strong World Series performance, outfielder Manny Ramirez was named series MVP. Ramirez hit a career 555 home runs, retiring with the 15th most of all time. After both the Patriots and Red Sox won their respective championships in 2004, Boston became the second city to ever win a SuperBowl and World Series title in the same year. In a mere four years, Boston had totaled up four championship titles.
The Red Sox went on to win the World Series again in 2007 when they beat the Colorado Rockies in a 4-0 series sweep. This time, third baseman Mike Lowell was named MVP for his powerful bat after he hit four RBIs and scored six runs in the series. After the Red Sox’s victorious run, the Celtics won the NBA Finals in 2008. This win was the first time the Celtics had won since the “Big Three” era led by Larry Bird in the 1980s. The Celtics’ 2008 win was the franchise’s 17th NBA Championship win — the most of any franchise.
After every other major professional sports team in Boston won in the 21st century, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011. The Bruins defeated Vancouver in a forced 7th game in the best of seven series. Bruins’ Goalie Tim Thomas was named MVP for his impressive shutout in the last game and simply incredible performance throughout the series. According to the Boston Globe, Boston is the only city in the new millenium to have a championship in the four primary sports: baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. Within a only 7 years, Boston won a championship for all four major teams, the fastest this task has ever been accomplished. Boston did not stop there: it added another four more championships in the next seven years. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2013, the Patriots won the Superbowl in 2014, and few can forget the Patriots coming back from a 25 point deficit to win the Super Bowl in 2016. With the Red Sox’s 2018 World Series victory, Boston is continuing to live up to its nickname “Titletown.”