Super Bowl LI: Boston’s belittling of Atlanta has already begun

That didn’t take long.

Leave it to the wicked good people of Boston — smack-talk masters that they are — to start issuing condescending missives about Atlanta less than 48 hours after the Super Bowl LI match-up was determined.

Today, a Boston Globe column titled “It’s hard to get pumped up about a Super Bowl against . . . Atlanta” has rankled the seersucker of ATLiens far and wide, per the Internet and sports talk radio.

In his writing, longtime columnist Dan Shaughnessy argues the Patriots could hardly have drawn a lamer opponent than the history-deprived Falcons, who inhabit a championship-starved city largely indifferent to pro sports, he argues.

He calls Atlanta “nice” and “hospitable” and throws a trite jab about excessive “Peachtree” usage. (Okay, fine, he’s on point there). For diehard ATL fans in general, the whole piece probably smacks as offensive, but here’s the uppercut:

“There is no need to insult the nice folks of Atlanta, where you can drive on Peachtree Street, go to Peachtree Plaza, and order yourself a Peachtree Margarita. Atlanta is a diverse and hospitable city with friendly folks and warm temperatures. You can always get a Coke and a smile ... But it is also a town with absolutely zero enthusiasm for professional sports.”

The motivational condescension doesn’t stop there.

Almost nobody gave the Falcons a chance to win the Super Bowl all season (100-1 odds are offensive). And according to The Guardian newspaper, a “lack of early buzz” about the Bowl suggests the presence of a team from Atlanta is making people not care.

Now let’s zoom out that view of Boston and much, much younger Atlanta (below), which would indicate (from afar, at least) something’s going right down here in the Dirty:

• It’s hard to get pumped up about a Super Bowl against . . . Atlanta [Boston Globe]
• Atlanta Falcons: Super Bowl Team Nobody Believed In [Rolling Stone]
• The Atlanta Falcons are electrifying. So why does no one care? [The Guardian]