Quick Answer: The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference East division. The Patriots play home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 22 miles southwest of Boston. As of 2024, the Patriots are the second-most valuable sports team in the world and have sold out every home game since 1994. Founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots, the team was a charter member of the American Football League before joining the NFL in 1970 through the AFL–NFL merger. The Patriots played their home games at various stadiums throughout Boston, including Fenway Park from 1963 to 1969, until the franchise moved to Foxborough in 1971 and changed its name to the New England Patriots. Founding owner Billy Sullivan sold the team in 1988, and it was sold twice more until it was purchased by current owner Robert Kraft in 1994.