Both the Herald and Globe wondered today about whether and why Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks was booed during a promotional appearance Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. Could it be that a stadium full of "red-blooded American football fans" (as the Herald's Inside Track ladies put it) actually booed any model, let alone a Victoria's Secret lass?

Bostonist was there, and we heard all the boos. And much as we give credit to anyone speaking in public before such a large crowd of people, we're going to note that we were rolling our eyes as we sipped our hot chocolate.

No, not at the booing folks. At Selita.

We get what was going on. Victoria's Secret is trying to remind anyone living under a rock that it will air its annual fashion show Dec. 4 on CBS (oh come on, as if you don't already have your DVR set), and Gillette Stadium is clearly VS-friendly territory, given that our star QB has fallen for his own Angel and all. So, the logic suggests, how could it not be a good idea to parade around a model wearing a Pats shirt, let her giggle in front of the crowd a few times, and give away some lingerie?

First, any game at Gillette (particularly one broadcast on Sunday Night Football) is already a football game tucked away within product sponsorship. Second, the Pats were fighting tooth and nail for a win. Third, Selita is leaps and bounds better at strutting the catwalk than speaking to a crowd, and we had to see her try to engage us multiple times throughout the game. Fans were polite the first time, but after that? Let us focus on our football.

Spokes-folks for both Victoria's Secret and the Pats offered playful conspiracy theories about who precisely was responsible for the boos, the Herald reported. VS says it was "a jealous retailer," while the Pats placed the blame squarely on the Eagles fans.

We'll set the record straight. There was thick tension in the stands on Sunday night, with two distinct crowds clashing (yes, we saw a couple of fights break out). But booing Selita was one of the only things that crossed team lines. If anything, for a brief moment, it brought that crowd together.

Photo of Selita Ebanks by flickr user chillywillyracefan posted under terms of a Creative Commons license. The views of this post express those of this individual Bostonist.