Football is a very popular sport in America with tremendous influence on society in both positive and negative ways. After watching many games over the past several years with my fiancé (someone is who is very knowledgeable in the sport, strategy, coaching people and fitness) and following some of the news about the players and sport, I have often wondered what could be done to make the sport truly 'super.' What could be changed to ensure that negative consequences do not continue to be a part of the game? (Note: I wrote my first blog on the Super Bowl about three years ago with the title "The Super Bowl - valuable lessons for life and business.")
In just two days, over 100 million people will be viewing the Super Bowl live in America to see if the Denver Broncos or Seattle Seahawks will become the champion. It is great that two of the top teams who have earned their spots in the Super Bowl are competing. Clearly, these teams have demonstrated great skills and strategies for winning their matches.
I am particularly impressed with the talent, perseverance and character of Peyton Manning, the quarterback of the Denver Broncos. The fact that he fought so hard to come back from devastating injuries caused intentionally by other player(s) is a tribute to his mental, emotional and physical discipline. He is, in my opinion (from what I know of him), someone to be admired. The same can't be said of some of the others in the NFL.
When I considered what led to other teams not ending up in the Super Bowl this year, I was once again dismayed with this sport. One of the cases that disturbed me had to do with the Indianapolis Colts during the playoffs. The comeback of the team, led by quarterback Andrew Luck, against the Kansas City Chiefs was phenomenal. The next game against the New England Patriots led to my dismay. When one of the other players appeared to intentionally trip Andrew Luck, I was upset about not only the unsportsmanlike behavior, but also the fact that the referee did not penalize the player (either due to lack of not seeing the behavior or choosing to ignore it). That behavior could have resulted in a negative impact on Luck mentally, emotionally and/or physically, thus causing the game to be lost in effect, which is what did happen. Anyone who cheats should be severely penalized.
It is my sincere hope that this Super Bowl will only include fair, sportsmanlike behavior and that the team that truly deserves to win due to skills, strategy and proper behavior is the champion. It would be great if the NFL actually had and properly enforced all the rules necessary to ensure proper behavior by effectively using video playback at ALL times to review ANY plays and possible infractions regarding the rules to punish those who misbehave, either intentionally or unintentionally. Why not learn from the World Cup about how video can be used to properly monitor the game for rulings about scores and penalties?
When the next football season starts, I would like to see that those who intentionally break the rules are properly penalized - that the punishment fit the crime. It is ridiculous that coaches and players who intentionally injured players on other teams be allowed to continue to be part of the NFL. In the world outside of the sport, those people would have (most likely) been found guilty of a crime, such as assault, for what they did. Just look at the cases of Tonya Harding and Lance Armstrong. They were both banned for life from their sports for their improper behavior. Why shouldn't the same penalty apply to those who break the most important rules in the NFL?
We need to teach children and adults what is important in life. Being someone of good character is what we should all aspire to. Having good health is also important. Making money is necessary for having a good life, but should not be achieved through sacrificing one's health or good character.
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