Pride of Boston

Sir, Gerard Baker (American Football special report, February 8) misinterprets Bostonians’ pride as arrogance.

I have lived and worked in Boston for ten years, and there is a lot to be proud of. Boston was the first to resist British tyranny, is home to some of the world’s top universities and hospitals, and was the birthplace of four US presidents including John F. Kennedy. Mr Baker calls the Kennedy name a “byword for sleaze”, yet one Kennedy generation produced a US President, two US senators, the founder of the Special Olympics and two war heroes.

Just as the New England Patriots have been heralded as model athletes — winners whose teamwork and work ethic have triumphed in an age of superstars and trash talk — Boston is a city that through joint efforts and hard work has dignity, honor, and a million reasons to feel proud.