Super Bowl

I'm really happy for the Saints. My apologies to those who wanted the Colts to win, but New Orleans was a team that was trying to lift the spirits of a city that still, four years later, is recovering from the devastation of Katrina.

Once the Patriots (my home team) lost in the playoffs, I assumed I'd watch the Super Bowl with no favorite. Both teams had beaten New England in the regular season, and in fact the Saints embarrassed us more than the Colts. But the Saints were the underdog, and as the game began, I thought, these guys are the Patriots nine years ago: the underdog in the Super Bowl, whom just about everyone who writes about sports predicted to lose. A team that had never won a Super Bowl in its long history, but a team with loyal, die-hard fans nonetheless. A team that could represent a comeback from a disaster--after all, how appropriate that a team called the Patriots won the Super Bowl a few months after the 9/11 attacks, when national pride was strong. So as I watched the efficient Colts go up 10-0, I began to really root for the Saints. They were my team if my team couldn't be there.

I wasn't entirely happy about choosing sides. If you have no vested interest in the outcome, no result can hurt. But I thought of the time I spent in New Orleans. I had walked the streets that would be filled with happy crowds if the team won. I knew they'd celebrate as we in New England did in 2001. And I liked seeing a team that had worked its way up from mediocrity to greatness in a short time achieve so much.

(I also got the chance to educate a football non-fan at the party I went to about the basic rules of football and why I like the combination of the cerebral and the sheer physicality of the game--she may even buy a handbook to learn more now!--and this was a perfect game to illustrate that, with something as clever and dangerous as an onside kick to show how coaching decisions can be as important as who misses a tackle or gets open downfield.) 

Even if the Saints had lost, I'd've been happy. They made it that far, and they were playing an incredible team. But the come-from-behind win (another hallmark of the Patriots for many years) felt even better.

So, congratulations, New Orleans. This is your time. Next year, I'd like to see my team play you in the big one, and if that happens, I won't be on your side any more. But for today, you are my team.