Here's how the world looked the last time the Patriots won a Super Bowl
This Sunday, the Patriots will attempt to win their first Super Bowl in a decade. Many things have changed since then (most notably, they've stopped selling JNCO jeans at my local Hot Topic), but some things are the same. We did a quick roundup of the world in 2005 to compare to the world in 2015. The results will amaze you! (Or not.)
TOP MOVIE: Batman Begins
2005 officially ushered in perhaps the greatest superhero franchise of all time, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. This first film introduced Christian Bale in the title role, with Michael Caine as Alfred, his butler, and Morgan Freeman as tech expert Lucius Fox. Liam Neeson used his particular set of skills in the film to Master Wayne in the martial arts before revealing his plan to destroy Gotham.
Worth noting: Batman Begins didn't come out until June 2005, but the top movie during the Super Bowl that year was the largely-forgettable Hide and Seek, and who wants to reminisce about that?
Top Movie 2015: American Sniper
TOP SONG: "Let Me Love You" by Mario
Mario's R&B ballad "Let Me Love You" topped the Billboard charts on Feb. 5, 2005. The song was written by Ne-Yo and also features appearances by him, Jadakiss and T.I. The song went double-platinum and ranked in eighth place on Billboard's list of the most successful songs of the decade.
Top Song 2015: "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
TOP BOOK: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
It's hard to overstate what a huge cultural force Malcolm Gladwell's Blink was in 2005. The reader-friendly pop-science book discussed the brain's decision-making ability and how perception affects judgment. Gladwell made the case that snap-judgments are often better than heavily-researched ones, a debacle known as "analysis-paralysis." Readers latched on to the simple explanations Gladwell presented for difficult concepts (indeed, he's recently faced criticism for simplifying them too much). Maybe Bill Belichick read the book and it influenced his decision-making during the big game. Probably not, though.
Top Book 2015: American Sniper by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, Jim DeFelice
2005 Halftime Show Performer: Sir Paul McCartney
In his second Super Bowl performance, Sir Paul played "Drive My Car," "Get Back," "Live and Let Die" and "Hey Jude." I guess then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue hated Wings.
Halftime Performer 2015: Katy Perry
2005 NBA Champions: San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich
Déjà vu? The 2005 NBA Champions sound pretty similar to the current title holder: The San Antonio Spurs, coached by Gregg Popovich, defeated the reigning champs to take the title. The team featured the likes of Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. Ringing any bell?
Also worth noting: The Spurs won in June of that year. The reigning champions at the time of the Super Bowl were the Detroit Pistons, who will definitely not be making it to the 2014 finals.
NBA Champions 2014: San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich
2004 World Series Winner: Boston Red Sox
Who could forget the most important event in Boston sports history (and probably the biggest event of any kind in Boston history since the Tea Party... and maybe even bigger than that)? After trading Babe Ruth in 1918, Boston went on an 86-year losing streak that was finally broken in 2004. Some names you might recognize include David Ortiz, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling. Adding a Pats Super Bowl win a few months later was just the icing on the cake.
World Series Champs 2014: San Francisco Giants
2004 Stanley Cup Winner: n/a
2004-05 was a rough season for hockey fans. In the midst of contract negotiations, the whole season was canceled for the now-infamous NHL Lockout. This marked the first time that an American pro sports league canceled an entire season for a lockout. Sorry to bring up painful memories, Canada.
Stanley Cup Winner 2014: Los Angeles Kings
Tom Brady's Significant Other: Bridget Moynahan
Gregory Pace/Getty
Tom Brady was dating a model, just not the one you're used to seeing. Brady dated Vogue cover model Bridget Moynahan from 2004-06. Shortly after they ended their relationship, Bridget gave birth to their son, John Edward Thomas Moynahan. It's always sad when a relationship ends, but all things considered, I think it worked out all right for Tom.
Tom Brady's Significant Other 2015: Gisele Bündchen
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