Why I love Super Bowl Sunday

Why I love Superbowl Sunday?

My mom and dad loved being engaged with high school football with the Ladonia Rattlers and the Fannindel Falcons.  They supported all four of their kids being involved investing a great deal of time and money to participate with us.

I learned from the years of watching my dad’s love for television sports what was important.  To rest and sleep on Sunday afternoon was important.  To watch the Cowboys was important, but family and friends and God were even more important.  This set of priorities served me well, but still our family has always loved football especially at the high school and Professional level.

My wife and I met on the year of the beginning of the year of the first Superbowl some fifty years ago.  Our children and grandchildren have always enjoyed the game together when it was possible.  We are always on the phone if either of our teams, Dallas or Denver,  are involved.

                Today on the day of the 50^th Superbowl I am engaged in my retirement hobby of writing my own history.  I will admit that this is of little interest to anyone except me and a few good family and friends.  Still, writers write.

On 1.15.67 I was living in Abilene Texas, going to college at ACU, dating my wife and looking forward to the Championship Game between the NFL and the AFL which has now come to be called the (Superbowl 1).  Where were you?  Where you born?  Do you remember what was going on and who you were with?  Which superbowl is the first you remember?

On 2.7.16 I am living in North Richland Hills Texas, retired, dating my wife and looking forward to Superbowl 50.

What are the memorable Superbowls to an older guy like yourself?

Superbowl Six,

1.16.72, Dallas 24, Miami, 3

Superbowl Ten,

1.18.76, Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17

In 1977 my wife and I had the chance to move to one of the most beautiful places in the USA, Colorado.  We lived there a total of 33 years found there was something more beautiful than the Rockies.  The people.  They became my second home and always will be.  The people who were our close friends there are not friends, but “family”.  So there became a big problem in 1978.  My two favorite teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos would meet.

Superbowl Twelve,

1.5.78, Dallas, 27, Denver 10

Superbowl Thirteen,

1.29.79, Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31

Superbowl Twenty Two,

1.31.88, Washington 42, Denver 10

Superbowl Twenty Four,

1.28.90, San Francisco, 55, Denver 10

Superbowl Twenty Seven

1.31.93, Dallas 52, Buffalo 17

Superbowl Twenty Eight,

1.30.94, Dallas 30, Buffalo, 13

Superbowl Thirty,

1.28.96, Dallas, 27, Pittsburgh, 17

Superbowl Thirty Two,

1.25.98, Denver 31, Greenbay 24

Superbowl Thirty Three,

1.31.99, Denver 34, Atlanta 19

Superbowl Forty Eight,

2.2.14, Seattle 43, Denver 8

Now we have Superbowl Fifty,

I never expected Denver to be here this year.  I did expect Dallas to be here this year.  Denver had victories that were so barely victories.  Peyton Manning had a hard year and his throwing was terrible because of age or injuries or both.  Brock Osweiler came in and won some games and Peyton Manning was able to take time off for injury and the defense has been superb.  Denver winning over New England and Miami beating New England in a meaningless game that gave Denver homefield for the playoffs and wow look what happened.  Denver is in Superbowl Fifty.

Why do I love football? 

It builds discipline into young men.  You simply must learn to accept pain as a part of life to pay football at almost any level.  It shows character in coaches and players.  It gives the joy of camaraderie.  It is a big time event on Friday night in Texas. “Friday night lights.” 

The very best of character is shown in some coaches, team moms and dads as well as thousands of teachers who volunteer to work at games.  It provides life lessons about counting the cost of winning and paying it.  It shows the importance of planning your work and working your plan.  This is the key to a great life.  You must say goodbye to the life of comfort and ease to play the game of football.  The best things in life require working through the pain to a victory.  This is not the pain of boxing our shadow but the real pain of engaging and being engaged.

Most of the time it is played by freedom of choice.  Young men decide they want to train and train and train and play.  We need to do all we can to make the game as safe as possible, but life itself is dangerous.  Life lived to avoid all risks is the greatest danger.

All kinds of people are brought together in this sport especially at the middle school and high school level.  Farm boys and inner city kids.  Prep school and down and out school play each other on Friday nights.   Black,white and brown barriers are crossed by players and coaches on successful teams in high school, college and professional.  I love that barriers are erased by the best of the best in football.

It shows the results of sowing and reaping.  The harder you work the luckier you get.  Success is when preparation meets opportunity.  It shows the importance of having rules and playing with fairness according to the rules.

It shows that there is joy in wining but also life after loss.  How many times did Dallas lose before they won?  How many times did Denver lose before they won?  How many times did John Elway lose before he won?  We have to learn to get up and dust ourselves off and try again.  This is learned in many places including football.

Why do I love pro football? 

It provides a way out for poor boys from small towns and inner cities to get out into the larger world a wider education and business success.  It shows an example of the best and the worst behaviors in life.  Teaching through good examples and bad examples become quite clear.  It illustrates risk reward principles that fit a free country like America. 

Why do I love the Superbowl?

It shows the best of the best after a long season.  This year the number one seeds in both leagues are meeting for Superbowl Fifty. 

It is a part of the freedom in the USA.  If you don’t like football at any level it is a good day to go shopping or play golf or do something productive for yourself or others.

Sometimes the games are close and sometimes there is a blow out.  Denver’s blow out loss two years ago was hard for the Denver fans and no one likes a blow out unless their team is winning.  Sometimes the games are close such as last year and was settled in the last second.

My hope for the game tonight is this.  No one gets hurt.  The game is well played and close and Denver wins.  I hope that all of you who are family and “friends” have a good day whatever you are doing.  Remember to keep things in perspective.  Monday morning if your team loses then still you hopefully will arise with gratitude in your heart to be alive to enjoy another day of enjoying life with your family and friends.

Larry Wishard

2.7.16