Super Bowl Thump
This is one of the reasons sports is just anathema to my mindset. I have never really enjoyed sports (except maybe for a rare basketball game), but this is just pathetic:
"This will always linger," Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green said following his team's 17-14 defeat to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium. "We can't do anything about it. When we go home, we're going to be the losers of Super Bowl XLII. Whenever we see that Super Bowl, every time we think about it, we're always going to be the losers. We'll have to learn to deal with that."
This really gets to the heart of the psychological gloom of sports competition. Both teams played very well, and they both should be proud. Why is the sport of football (or any sport) so hell-bent on emphasizing loss and defeat? I would have loved to have seen less of the mentally-impeded, testosterone-fueled muscle flexing, air-punching anger; I would have loved to have seen a few well-meaning compliments given to the losing team after the game; I would have loved to have seen the winning team speaker rise above the level of pro-wrestling retardation; I would have loved to have seen the Giants shaking the hands of the second-best team, the Patriots, and congratulating them on a great game. But none of this occurred.
I have heard from avid sports fans that sports holds up an exalted example of human achievement. But in the largest event of American sports, the Super Bowl, half the effort and brilliance and thought and achievement is negated, basically erased, by that sick, self-beating of calling yourself, and being called, a loser. I would much rather have watched a beauty pageant – it’s there that winners and non-winners alike are happy for each other no matter what the outcome, or at least they show it.
"This will always linger," Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green said following his team's 17-14 defeat to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium. "We can't do anything about it. When we go home, we're going to be the losers of Super Bowl XLII. Whenever we see that Super Bowl, every time we think about it, we're always going to be the losers. We'll have to learn to deal with that."
This really gets to the heart of the psychological gloom of sports competition. Both teams played very well, and they both should be proud. Why is the sport of football (or any sport) so hell-bent on emphasizing loss and defeat? I would have loved to have seen less of the mentally-impeded, testosterone-fueled muscle flexing, air-punching anger; I would have loved to have seen a few well-meaning compliments given to the losing team after the game; I would have loved to have seen the winning team speaker rise above the level of pro-wrestling retardation; I would have loved to have seen the Giants shaking the hands of the second-best team, the Patriots, and congratulating them on a great game. But none of this occurred.
I have heard from avid sports fans that sports holds up an exalted example of human achievement. But in the largest event of American sports, the Super Bowl, half the effort and brilliance and thought and achievement is negated, basically erased, by that sick, self-beating of calling yourself, and being called, a loser. I would much rather have watched a beauty pageant – it’s there that winners and non-winners alike are happy for each other no matter what the outcome, or at least they show it.
posted by Amy | 10:25 AM
3 Comments:
Amy:
I agree completely. To me the Giants looked completely classless. In the postgame show one of the Giant players gave an ostensive description of their victory by jumping up and coming down in a big 'stomp'. How sad. A three point victory is not a stomp of any kind.
I waited for the recognition from the Giants that their foe was formidable and played a good game but it was not forthcoming. What seems to be missing in some of today's sports is respect.
"You play to win the game," said one NFL coach a few years ago. Another famous coach once said: "Winning is everything."
I agree that there can be more class in sports today, and too often players get too caught up in what others think of them and how they will be remembered -- by others. Unfortunately, I notice a lot of second hander-ism in sports.
But the bottom line is that first and foremost, you play to win the game. Sure, you can walk away proud that you played a good game but still lost. I'm sure many athletes have that experience. The Giants felt it in the regular-season finale, when they came very close to beating the then still-perfect Patriots. They didn't win, but they felt proud that they came close to beating the best team in the league.
But the primary purpose of being competing in sports is to win, to beat your competition, and when you come up short, that can be very disheartening. Again, if you played well anyway, sure, you can take that away with you. But it's much better to play well *and* also win.
I don't see anything wrong with that mentality.
~ Joseph Kellard
Hi Mike, and Hi Joseph,
Hey, thanks for the comments! I love this new world of blogging. Pretty cooool.
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