While reviewing many of the unnecessary Super Bowl tweets
between workout sets in the wee hours of the morning after the game (I
refuse to dilute my attention with 19 character insights like “what an amazing game” amidst a total blowout in
real time), there was one pearl of wisdom that appeared at the halftime break
from an avid Bronco fan and fellow colleague that actually seemed worth
retweeting. It said simply… “Maybe I shouldn’t have talked so much
smack…” Maybe?
Like so many people that don’t know when to stop, her
apparent early tweet profundity was quickly offset with the unfortunate
addition of several more words. Not knowing when to quit
is one of my greatest faults (pretty
much prove it here every week)…so I’m particularly sensitive to it. In her
case, she included the dreaded word “but” and here’s what followed… “I refuse to believe this is really over…
#unitedinorange.”
Really… maybe we were watching two different games.
The Broncos had to find out the hard way that a high-powered offense
usually works fine until you run into a better skilled team that puts even a
higher priority on defense. Throw in a privileged star-craved quarterback (who
is admittedly sensational) needlessly drawing attention to himself on every
play by moving around like whack job on crystal meth screaming “Omaha,” and
well, the old-fashioned shellacking (which included the poetic justice of an
opening safety due to his antics) couldn’t
have been any sweeter.
Aside from all that though, the “maybe I shouldn’t have
talked so much smack” halftime revelation amidst a 140 character culture that
is convinced the world cares what they think about every single thing at every
single moment, really does strike me as interesting. Other than the fact that
the Broncos were getting the living crap beat out of them, I wondered what
caused my friend to second-guess the wisdom of talking up her team’s perceived
superiority heading into the contest? Was it the embarrassment of being so
wrong? Or could it be it dawned on her that there’s a downside to talking smack
in general…regardless of the outcome? I mean really, if you had special powers
that would allow you to accurately predict the outcome of a sporting contest,
would you spend your time bragging or calling your bookie?
I’ve worn enough adult diapers to remember a time when trash
talk, at least in competitive sports, was pretty rare…maybe even non-existent.
At the very least, it certainly wasn’t revered. I actually recall as a kid being horrified by a
young, talented, and brash prize fighter named Cassius Clay running his mouth
incessantly about how great he was. You can actually google "trash talk" and you see a
reference to this otherwise gifted athlete…pretty much being credited with
initiating the practice.
Others seemed to love him…but I was immediately (and
perpetually) turned off by what I viewed as the highly unattractive narcissism.
Sadly, Clay (now Muhammed Ali), has a lot of egocentric company.
If you google "Top
25 Cocky Athletes," it’s a literal who’s who of self-absorbed
competitors that I cannot stand. Jeff Gordon (remind me…who is the athlete in
NASCAR?), Lance Armstrong, Kobe Bryant…and 22 others. You can pretty much guess
who will be on the list and they’ve managed to cover most sports (but they also went outside and included NASCAR). Serena
Williams appears to be the only woman on the list…and I couldn’t help notice
under her picture that it noted that there “aren’t too many cocky female
athletes.” What is it about us guys that makes us feel the need to have
something other than the results
of our work and the final score on the board tell the story?
In a world where we strive to get the entire planet to
“follow” us, it’s hard to imagine there was a time before fist pumps,
self-centered celebratory end zone stunts, sack dances, and post-game
interviews lambasting losing opponents, when humility and winning (and losing)
with grace were considered a true virtue. I’m not sure what happened to make
drawing attention yourself so in vogue, but for me it’s hard not to wax
nostalgic about a time when folks like Marcus Allen and Barry Saunders could
dominate the gridiron and repeatedly cross the goal line with all the cool of a
cat that behaved as though he’d been there before.
Thankfully, there’s a list of the "Top
25 Most Humble Athletes" too. It includes people like Annika
Sorenstam, Lolo Jones, Priscilla Lopez-Shliep, Jackie Joyner Kersee,
and Kim Clijsters. Hey…what is this…a list of women athletes? No…there
are some guys on there too…just a lot less (think about that for a minute). People
like Walter Payton, Hank Aaron, David Robinson, Kurt Warner, Wayne Gretzky and
Rafa Nadal. Barry Saunders is on the list too…and here’s what it says under his
picture…
“One of the greatest running
backs to ever play in the NFL. His moves were unbelievable which made him untouchable.
He never celebrated or show-boated when he scored a touchdown and every time
just handed the ball back to the ref…”
So, the next time you cross the goal line, pin your opponent
to the mat, sink the winning jump shot, finish a project on time at work,
exhibit good parenting skills or even just unload the dishwasher when it’s not
your turn, try not to draw attention to your extraordinary achievement by
gyrating around like a jackass. Even if you have to act, see if you can pretend
it’s not a new experience. Act like you’ve been there before, and just “hand
the ball back to the ref” like it happens all the time.
It’s Friday…so please take some time to think about the
people and pets that mean the most to you. When you do get to the end of this
game and glance up at the scoreboard, it’s the time you’ve spent doing the
things that matter that will be reflected by the chap keeping score.
So…go ahead, kick back, relax, and start the weekend with a
little Friday music.
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