No, I don’t mean the outcome for my sad Seahawks fans. After all, only two teams can go to the Super Bowl and that means the fans of the thirty other teams are disappointed at some level. If you have multiple teams you enjoy either because you have lived in different places or perhaps players/coaches you admire move to a different team, then you increase your chances to have some emotional investment in the game. Otherwise, what fans want is a good game, played hard, with a fairly balanced score and enough excitement to say, “Did you see that?!” In theory, all Super Bowls should be that way since the playoff system is supposed to allow the two final teams that make it through to be fairly evenly matched. There have, however, been a number of blowouts through the years and in those cases, unless your team happens to be the one winning, you tend to focus on the commercials and maybe the halftime show.
Last night started with the scoreless first quarter and that’s okay, too. The teams were fresh, the defenses determined to do their parts and the coaches taking measure of what kind of plays they were facing. The excitement started late in the second quarter and I made the classic error of seeing the play clock with little time left before the half. I dished up the chili and moved behind my husband’s recliner where I said something like, “I don’t think much is going to happen in the next 11 seconds so we can move to the table.” He corrected me as he pointed to the screen and sure enough, there it was – one of those – “Did you see that?” – moments as the Seahawks made their touchdown. Nice way to tighten the game.
In watching New England fall behind, looking as if they might not catch up, then the push to go forward again, and then the crucial minute where the entire game shifted in an incredible catch – this was what the Super Bowl is about. The actual play that sealed the game was equally spectacular unless of course you were rooting for Seattle. The sheer timing of it though was enough to warm the hearts of those who just wanted to see a good game (and naturally thrilled all Pats fans).
