Patriots Vs. Ice.

No, I'm not talking about the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship play-off game. It's The 2026 Super Bowl!

Representing the AFC are the winners of that AFC play-off game, The New England Patriots. They hail from the New England region of America. Located in the North-East of the United States New England is made up of the States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Boston is the largest city in the region, making Massachusetts the real centre of New England.

As we learned during Awards Season 2025 in 1453 The Byzantine Empire (330-1453) fell to The Ottoman Empire (1299-1922). This blocked Europe's access to The Silk Road preventing it from trading with Asia. This prompted the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus to set sail East, in the hope of finding a new trade route between Europe and Asia. In August 1492 Columbus' expedition hit a bit of a problem, in the form of a previously unknown landmass. Europe had finally discovered what we now know to be The Americas.

Being rather annoyed at not finding himself in Asia Christopher Columbus never travelled as far as what we now consider North America. His first voyage only took his as far as Cuba while his subsequent voyages took him to Venezuela in South America along with Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras in Central America. The first European to discover North America was actually the Italian Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) who, under orders from British King Henry VII, landed in the modern Canadian Province of Newfoundland in 1497. In 1519 the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan finally found a way around the annoyance that is The Americas. As a result of this first circumnavigation of the globe trade between Europe and Asia boomed.

In 1600 British merchants trading with East Asia established a dedicated Corporation - The British East India Company (EIC). Technically the British East India Company is a complex and uniquely British legal arrangement. Established by Royal Charter it is a mainly Private Corporation but one to which the British Crown has delegated governing authority, like a Municipal Government. However for the sake of arguments you could describe the British East India Company as a Private Corporation.

In 1601 British merchants set up two similar Corporations - The Plymouth Company and The London Company. Their Royal Charters gave them authority to establish trading settlements on behalf of the British Crown in North America. Eventually the two Corporations merged and became The Virginia Company in 1606. 

To help fund itself and populate its settlements The Plymouth Company sold land it had yet to visit to a group known as; "The Pilgrims." Being very pure in their Protestant Christian beliefs The Pilgrims believed that religion should be separate from the power of Monarchs and nations and that Churches should be governed Democratically. This had seen them forced from Britain into exile in The Netherlands.

In July 1620 The Pilgrims boarded first the Speedwell and set sail from The Netherlands back to Britain. In Southampton The Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower and set sail for their new life in North America. In November 1620 landed at what we now consider Plymouth Rock in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Under The Plymouth Company this became The Plymouth Colony.

Britain had tried establishing trading settlements in North America before, however they had all failed. The London Company had the first success, establishing The Jamestown Settlement in what we now consider the State of Virginia in 1607. Although that initially came very close to failure, being abandoned and re-established in 1610. The Plymouth Colony was the second successful British Colony in North America. To celebrate surviving its first year The Plymouth Colony held a Feast of Thanksgiving in October 1621, alongside the native Wampanoag Tribe. An event people in the US continue to mark to this day, although they have moved it to November so it's closer to Black Friday.

The success of The Plymouth Colony allowed The Plymouth Corporation to sell more land in their trading settlement. The Massachusetts Bay Colony, The Providence Plantation, The Rhode Island Colony and The Saybrook Colony soon followed.

Britain wasn't the only European Colonial Power trying to establish trading settlements in North America. There was also The Kingdom of France, The Kingdom of Spain and The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. That was alongside the Indigenous population which already lived in the area. Chiefly the Iroquois League, the Mi'kmaq Tribe and the Abenaki Tribe. These competing interests led to a series of conflicts; The French and Indian Wars. For the purpose of mutual defence the British Colonies established The New England Confederation or The United Colonies of New England.

The British Crown was very concerned by the growing power of The New England Confederation. So it brought it back under its direct rule. Establishing The Dominion of New England. Effectively taking the Colonies out of the Private Sector and bringing them into the Public Sector. Rather like how The Portuguese Empire was forced to bring The 15 Captaincies of Brazil from the Private Sector into the Public Sector in response to The Sugar Wars (1624-1654).

Unlike European Settlers in more Southern parts of The Americas Settlers in New England found that the area wasn't particularly good for growing Cash-Crops such as Sugarcane. So instead they focused on Trade, particularly animal furs, and proto-Industrialisation, making things out of those animal furs. 

Trade in New England was hampered by The Navigation Laws. A set of British laws which essentially meant that all trade had to go through Britain. So all imports had to come from Britain, where they'd be subject to Tariffs, and all exports had to go first to Britain, where they'd be subject to Tariffs. In an early example of Vertical Integration The Navigation Laws also gave Britain control of the entire Supply-Chain, mandating that only British ships, such as those belonging to the British East India Company, could be used for import and export. A monopoly which allowed them to charge a hefty premium.

As The New England Confederation the people of New England were able to pretty much ignore The Navigation Laws. Smuggling things through neighbouring territories which weren't under British control and appointing local officials who simply wouldn't enforce the law. As The Dominion of New England the Settlers had to obey The Navigation Laws which were now being enforced by officials from Britain. 

Alongside that frustration the people of New England were also frustrated at being ruled by a faraway Absolute Monarchy. Many of them, particularly The Puritans, had already fled that same Absolute Monarchy because they thought their Churches should be run Democratically. With the majority of people in New England being Puritan Christians they were really not happy about being ruled by a Catholic Christian Absolute Monarchy. King Charles II and then King James I.

So in 1689 the people of New England, particularly Boston, rose up in revolt against The Dominion of New England. Causing it to collapse and restoring local-rule to New England. The Boston Revolt (1689).

By the 1760's The British East India Company was in serious financial trouble. One of the causes for this was New England ignoring The Navigation Laws to smuggle cheaper Tea from the Dutch East India Company into The Americas. This resulted in The British East India Company having warehouses full of Tea in Britain that it was unable to sell. Specifically to save the British East India Company from bankruptcy Britain passed The Tea Act (1773). This essentially abolished Tariffs for Tea the British East India Company imported to Britain and then exported elsewhere, such as to The Americas.

In December 1773 a group of protesters called The Sons of Liberty snuck aboard The British East India Company ship Dartmouth in Boston harbour. They then dumped the cargo of Tea into the water because it wasn't subject to Tariffs. The Boston Tea Party. Rather than objecting to Tariffs The Sons of Liberty objected to The British East India Company being exempt from Tariffs while they still had to pay Tariffs on exports to Britain, despite Britain giving them no say in what the Tariff levels were and what they were being used to pay for. Hence the famous slogan; "No Taxation Without Representation!" Rather than simply; “No Taxation!”

Britain responded to The Boston Tea Party by punishing New England with the imposition of what became known as; "The Intolerable Acts" (1774). These included closing Boston Port until the Tea which had been destroyed was paid for in full. Along with placing the Massachusetts Colony back under direct British rule, as it had been during The Dominion of New England.

This only angered the people of New England more. The Sons of Liberty joined with others to form a wider group called; "The Patriots." It is this specific political group that the Football team is named after, rather than a more general concept of patriotism. 

The Patriots were the main driving force behind The American Revolution (1765-1783) and The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) which expelled British Colonial rule and established the new nation of The United States of America. Which, at the time, meant The 13 Colonies running down the East Coast. New England in the North, The Middle Colonies between Delaware and Pennsylvania and The Southern Colonies between Virginia and Florida.

As part of a new independent nation New England continued its focus on Trade and proto-Industrialisation. So when The Industrial Revolution occurred New England was quick to embrace it. The Springfield Armoury pioneered many production line techniques, such as mass produced parts. New England continues to be a centre for high-tech manufacturing due to the region's partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

New England particularly embraced Textile manufacturing with the region being dominated by many industrialised Textile mills. These quickly saw New England create far more jobs then it could fill. This saw women enter the paid workforce in a big way for the first time. The town of Salem where they famously hanged farm girls as witches in the 17th Century is located in Massachusetts. New England's jobs crisis was also solved by large numbers of immigrants. Particularly Catholics who were fleeing famine and oppression in Britain's Irish Colony. So large was this influx of Irish immigrants that it shifted New England's religious character. Making it majority Catholic, after being founded by very Protestant Protestants. A legacy that continues to this day. It's even got; "Mass" right there in its name.

Being focused on Trade and now Industry rather than Agriculture New England had little use for Slaves and became a driver for the abolition of Slavery. The modern day Republican Party was founded in 1854 as a specifically anti-Slavery party. The result of a split between the original Patriots of New England and newer Patriots from The Southern Colonies, where Agriculture was more important.

If you could see through the Blizzard the New England Patriots secured their place in this year's Super Bowl by beating The Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship play-off. The Denver Broncos are from the State of Colorado.

The Super Bowl 2025, particularly The Half-Time Show 2025, went into a frankly painful level of detail about the history of Los Angeles. How when the US took control of the area during The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) they created the first real maps, dividing the are up into Land Parcels. California Governor Leland Stanford then gave many of these Land Parcels away to himself and his friends; Collis Potter Huntington, Mark Hopkins Jr and Charles Crocker. Dubbed; "The Big Four" Stanford and his friends used these Land Grants and other corrupt practices to amass huge fortunes. Becoming the some of the most famous; "Robber Barons" of the US' so-called; "Gilded Age."

While the Big Four were considered; "The Biggest Swindlers in American History" this practice of Robber Barons using corrupt Land Grants to amass huge fortunes wasn't limited to California, it was something which happened across the US.

Colorado had its own Robber Barons, led John C. Osgood, known as The Iowa Group. They established the Denver & Rio Grande Railway Company in 1870 and through their control of the transport infrastructure went onto own pretty much all industry in Colorado through the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. This went on to be taken over by two of, probably, the most famous Robber Barons; John D. Rockefeller and Jay Gould. Their appalling treatment of workers led to massive strikes; "Colorado Labour Wars" (1903-1904) and the "Colorado Coalfield War (1913-1914)."  The latter resulted in; "The Ludlow Massacre" (1914) in which the Colorado National Guard massacred striking miners and their families at the request of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. Woody Guthrie's song; "Ludlow Massacre" sits in the US Library of Congress to catalogue this significant event in US history.

The Super Bowl 2026 is being played in San Francisco in Northern California. This is particularly well known for Silicon Valley, home to all Big Tech companies. Arguably the Big Tech companies are the modern day Robber Barons. They control the infrastructure; the Internet Data Centres, the A.I's through which so much of the modern Economy functions. That control of the transport infrastructure gives them huge opportunity for Vertical Integration, like the owners of the Railroads had during the Gilded Age.

So with The Patriots having defeated Colorado's Robber Barons I thought it was inevitable they would go onto take on California's Robber Barons. In the form of The L.A Rams.

Instead though it was The Seattle Seahawks who won the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship play-off. Making them the Patriot's opponents in the 2026 Super Bowl. They heil from Washington State in The Pacific Northwest.

[The point after which I’ll probably need to tidy up a bit.]

When Magellan finally found a way around The Americas he did so by sailing around its most Southern tip, Cape Horn. It took almost another 200 years before someone sailed all the way back up the Pacific side of The Americas. The Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta arrived in what we now consider Washington State in 1775. In 1811 the area was claimed as a British trading settlement by the North West Company, a Private Corporation in the style of the Virginia Company and the British East India Company.

When the US established itself as an independent nation in 1776 is was only the 13 Colonies. Everything to the West of modern day Pennsylvania was still part of Britain. Arguably Canada is still part of Britain. Under The Treaty of Paris (1783). Britain ceded the modern day States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and most of Minnesota to the US. Despite now being considered Middle-America at the time these were known as; “The Northwest Territory.” In The War of 1812 (1812-18-14) Britain tried to take back The 13 Colonies and The Northwest Territory.

A significant driver of the US expansion West was the invention of The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). In 1830 Joseph Smith found what he claimed was a new book of the Christian Bible in New York State, just South of New England. Conveniently this new book allowed Joseph Smith and his followers to take multiple wives. Multiple husbands are still very much forbidden. Quite quickly everyone in New York State got fed up with The Mormons' heresy and polyamory and they had to flee to Ohio and Missouri. Quite quickly everyone there got fed up with the Mormons, their heresy and polyamory and they were kicked out of Ohio and Missouri. Although more intercommunal violence the Mormons expulsion from Missouri is sometimes known as; “The Mormon War of 1838.”

Following their expulsion from, particularly Missouri, the Mormons trekked North-West to start new lives in what is now considered the State of Utah. In 1857 the Mormons massacred non-Mormons in Utah, prompting President James Buchanan to send Federal Troops to bring Mormon Utah back under US control. President Buchanan lost this; “Utah War" (1857-1858) to the Mormons. It was the weakening of President Buchanan which is seen as contributing to The US Civil War (1861-1865).

While this was going on Britain had ceded The Pacific Northwest to the US, under The Oregon Treaty (1848). Those travelling to these new territories alongside the Mormons discovered that it was rich in valuable minerals such as Coal, Copper and, particularly Gold. Prompting a massive influx of migrants, all looking to make their fortune.

The US Civil War ended with the abolishment of Slavery in all of the US. Despite Black Lives Matter’s insistence that all issues in the US must be considered in terms of Slavery's legacy Slavery was never a legal practice in a majority of US States, let alone the entire country. 

However after the US Civil War (1861-1865) White people in US States in the South-East, such as Missouri, found the prospect of having to live alongside Black people as equals so terrifying that they fled to the furthest point they could find; Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Black Exclusion Laws prevented Black people from living in Washington State’s neighbour Oregon until 1926. Sociologists and Urban Geographers talk about; “White Flight.” In which White people flee inner-cities for the suburbs, in order to escape Black people. The post-1865 migration from the South-East US to the Pacific Northwest has got to be the biggest White Flight in history.

Due to this culture of epic racism Washington State has long been a hotbed of Neo-Nazi activity. No doubt making it a key recruiting ground from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In short; The Seattle Seahawks are ICE.

[Placeholder for some stuff about The Wolves who attack the Kibbutz in  Season 2 of "The Last of Us" and Woody Guthries songs about several Dams built as part of the Keynsian New Deal during The Great Depression I can't be doing with right now]

Of course the capital of Washington State isn’t Seattle. The capital of Washington State is Olympia. The city takes its name from The Olympic Mountain Range, which in turn takes its name from its highest peak; Mount Olympus. Located on The Olympic Peninsula the area around The Olympic Mountain Range is a US National Park; “The Olympic Wilderness.”

Washington’s Mount Olympus appropriates its name from Greece’s Mount Olympus. Which, in mythology, is considered home to the Olympic gods who defeated the Titan gods.

Whoever named Washington State’s Mount Olympus wasn’t the only 19th Century European Colonial waster to appropriate Greek Mythology. Pierre de Coubertin also stole it for his ridiculous celebration of mediocrity; The Modern Olympics.

Despite President Trump being in office for over a year now the US is still facing down the barrel of the tragedy of hosting The 2028 Summer Olympics. It’s still over two years away, yet it’s already left much of Los Angeles in ruins.

Before that though the US is still in line to suffer the absolutely tragedy of having to host The 2026 World Cup. While it’s something the entire nation should be alarmed about this is a particular problem for the National Football League (NFL). Even within the US American Handegg has long being losing popularity in favour of Football. Particularly amongst Hispanics, even those who don’t speak Spanish.

In an effort to stem the bleeding the NFL has been making a concerted effort to appeal to Hispanics. This year saw NFL games being played in both Spain and Mexico. The Kansas City Chiefs game in Brazil particularly caught a lot of attention, coming days after Travis Kelce announced his engagement to Taylor Swift.

As part of this effort to avoid going bankrupt and collapsing into irrelevance the NFL have booked US citizen Bad Bunny to perform The Half-Time Show. Personally, I found this to be painfully, embarrassingly transparent. 

However acolytes of the dearly departed Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA are so stupid and so racist they can’t understand any of the stuff about preserving American wealth, power, influence and greatness. So instead they’ve thrown an angry virgin tantrum, about the fact some people can speak languages other than English, organised a boycott and will be holding a rival half-time show.

Even when I sober up and read this back to myself I still pretty much guarantee that’s going to be even more terrible. Apparently the Epstein Files are headlining.

03:37 on 9/2/26 (UK date).*Generation and