What can we LEARN from Super Bowl 43?

Super Bowl 43. Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. What a delightful game. Some great lessons to be learned from him, too.

In the midst of wild changes, keep calm and never give up.

The scene. Arizona down 10-7, 30 seconds left in the half, ball at Pitt’s 2-yard line. In the worst case a field goal and tied up the middle. Best case scenario, a touchdown and Arizona takes the lead and a big drive in the locker room. Oh no… one interception and Pittsburgh prevents them from scoring points. Wait a minute, only 5-6 seconds left, but someone’s got to take down the interceptor…they can’t while he’s pulling it tightrope down the sidelines to score for Pittsburgh. With 10-14 points, I turn in favor of Pittsburgh. Can you say DEMORALIZING? Some grapes at the Beringer winery have not been crushed that bad.

If you’re the coach of Arizona… what the hell do you say to your players at halftime to reinvigorate them after that incredible turn of events? Some teams would have packed it like a box of baby wipes. Arizona didn’t, and they were seconds away from coming back to win Super Bowl 43. Lesson 1… keep calm, don’t give up.

You never know when the tide will turn.

The referees. As an impartial observer of the game, he would have sworn the umpires were in the black and gold pockets of the Steelers. Penalty after penalty… against Arizona. Some penalties proved crucial, which dampened some rallies. And the Steelers couldn’t err, or at least get “caught” for it. Then suddenly, without warning, the yellow flags descended on the Steelers like December snowflakes in Buffalo. A hold here, a pass interference there. Staff crowd here. Finally, Pittsburgh completes a pass from their own end zone, which gets a first down and seals the game. Wait HOLDING, in the end zone against Pittsburgh. A Security. 2 points for the Cardinals and the ball back. The Cardinals would eventually go ahead and score, what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown. Lesson 2. Hold your ground as the tide could turn at any time.

It’s not over until it’s over.

Has anyone heard this saying before? Rancider than Kool and the Gang’s ‘Celebration’ at a wedding. Why? Because it’s so true. Just ask Ben Roethlisberger. In his game-winning drive, he sometimes resembled Houdini, running away from tacklers and completing passes. With seconds remaining, he completes the final game-winning touchdown. It’s beyond comprehension how he passed through the arms of pass rushers, over the outstretched hands of defenders, to the corner, to a receiver who did a tap dance that would make Michael Flatley proud. Lesson 3. Until the fat lady sings, she keeps playing, as loud as you can.

There are some incredibly talented people out there.

Let’s mention 3 entertainers. Has anyone heard the new lead singer of the 80’s band Journey? This guy sounded EXACTLY like former point man Steve Perry, who, by the way, has an extremely unique voice. I would have loved to see the karaoke competition where this guy was. Jennifer Hudson did an amazing job, especially with all the trauma that has been a part of her life in the last 365 days. And the Chief… what it must be like, in the latter part of her career, to continue to entertain the thousands of people in the Tampa arena, as well as TV watchers throughout the universe. Pretty good stuff. Lesson 4. Never underestimate a human being. They possess incredible things within themselves.

Finally, sometimes there are no LOSERS, but one team is officially the WINNER.

We’ve seen games where this guy really choked, or that woman really messed it up for her team. In other games, one team simply beats and dominates the other. Still other games that are close, the viewer can physically see which team wants it the most and grinds victory.

And from time to time, but not enough, we are treated to a game in which there are no LOSERS. They all leave every drop of blood, sweat and tear they have on the floor, court or field. Many times it is the team that is lucky enough to have the ball last, before time runs out. These are the games where no one really loses, it’s just that one of the teams ends up with a higher score and is declared the winner. These are the games where everyone wins. Both teams for a great sporting event, and let’s not forget the big winners… the fans. Lesson 5. Sometimes neither team loses. It’s just that someone has to be declared the winner.

Congratulations to the Arizona Cardinals on a great contest. And congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers who on this day are crowned world football champions. Above all, we must not lose sight of the fact that although the stakes were high in this game, it is still a GAME and not a matter of life and death. Come Monday 2/2/09, every player can hang their heads high in what was an excellent competitive show.