There’s an amazing adrenaline rush that comes from being throughly invested in the outcome of a contest, second only to engaging in that contest directly. Human beings seem to love competition and if you can’t compete, pick sides and saddle up. Or so I was thinking as I was shouting myself hoarse at last night’s Super Bowl party.
I don’t follow football as a general rule; don’t take part in office pools or bet on draft picks. But somewhere around December, I got caught up in the drama of the New York/New Jersey Giants (hey, I’m trying to be fair here). After all, they seemed to be playing their best football almost impossibly late in the season. Meanwhile, there were the New England Patriots, on their way to compiling a perfect record, although really, who’s ever perfect? As I watched the Giants appear to grow in size, stature, speed and maturity over the course of a few weeks, I started tuning in more. Then I was hooked.
I went to the party last night with high spirits and low expectations. I mean, it was a great ride but the Giants were up against a perfect team. Then the impossible happened and the rest, as they say, is history. The Giants scored a huge upset and became Super Bowl champs.
An uncharacteristically giddy Tom Coughlin, the Giants’ coach, summed up the victory aptly when he said, “Every team is beatable, you know.” Given what the landscape looks like as we approach Super Tuesday’s set of Presidential primaries , I’d say that was an apt motto to remember, you know?
1 Woman' s Vu by Nikki Stern 