The Big Game

Usually when the big game rolls around, I rarely have a dog in the fight (a terrible pun considering I live in Atlanta). See, in Atlanta, the only time in history that our pro team made it to the Super Bowl, all the news outlets were touting it as the biggest fluke in the history of EVER and how it was an insult to the Denver Broncos because the Falcons would hardly even give them a run for their money.

Sadly, the most notoriety the Falcons have received was not from their prowess on the field, but from the pathetic excuse for a man named Michael Vick (former Falcons QB) and his dog-fighting ring. Anyone reading this may refer to a previous entry on this blog titled "Who Says You Can't Buy Love?" to get a pretty clear idea of how warmly I might receive the idea of dog fighting. It positively turns my stomach. And we had this classless jackass leading our team and had actually hoped he might finally bring a Lombardi trophy home to Atlanta, a city previously known in pro sports circles for our baseball team but never for our football team.

Now, this year ended up being another story. Rookie Matt Ryan graced our field and surprised just about everyone as he led the team to a 11-6 season. That was nothing short of miraculous considering the typically dismal 4-12 season we had last year. Suddenly, football was abuzz in Atlanta and folks were excited to watch games; they actually attended games and rooted for the team. And boy did we ever need a successful season to cleanse the city air after the stench that was M. Vick.

And then we went to Arizona and it was over in a flash. Oh, the disappointment. So by the time yesterday's big game rolled through, you'd have thought I'd have been just another beaten-down Falcons fan, well used to the lack of any black and red jerseys on the field. And in a way, I was. But at the same time, I had a two-fold reason for wanting the Cardinals to take a nose-dive. Not only did they take out the Falcons in what was arguably the best season we've ever had considering we won games legitimately not just luckily. And two--I also happen to be a died-in-the-wool Steelers fan. Ah! So just because the Falcons were ousted, I DID still have a stake in the game. My entire family hails from the Steel city and my grandfather graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. It was my birthright to be obnoxious during the game.

You can imagine my horror when I watched the Cardinals run that touchdown during the waning minutes of the game to take their only lead. But Roethlisberger didn't let me down and that less-than-a-minute-left Steeler touchdown had me dancing in my living room. I ran naked through the streets. The subsequent arrest put a damper on the night but nonetheless, the Steelers pulled it out. And now, they again hold a Super Bowl record with the most S.B. championships under their belt (they previously held this record back when they became the first team to win four Super Bowls). So way to go, Steelers. If it couldn't be the Falcons, it had to be you.