Defending the Overdog

It's three hours before the Super Bowl, and I want to make an announcement.

I'm rooting for the Patriots.

It's not because I have any money on the game - I don't. It's not because I think Tom Brady is way cuter than Eli Manning - even though I do. It's not because I think the fans deserve it - because you know I don't.

It's because what they're trying to do is very rare and special. They've come so far; they've been so good. They deserve it.

It's been said many times by many people with more football knowledge than I do that if they don't win the Super Bowl, their season is a failure. To a certain extent I agree. After all, isn't that sort of the point with any competitive sport - to win the championship? And that every other team that doesn't failed? But regardless who wins today, in five or twenty years when people talk about the 2007-2008 NFL season, whom are they going to talk about - the Giants or the Patriots? I guess I just want them to seal the deal and validate it all.

What does surprise me is the number of people who are rooting for the Giants just so the Patriots don't win. What is so wrong about appreciating excellence? Yes, it's fun to root for the underdog sometimes, but when the overdog is about to something very special, it's not wrong to root for them. And seriously, I have a hard time believing any team from New York is truly an underdog. And no, I can't agree that the Patriots cheat, but that's another rant entirely.

I am old enough to barely remember the '72 Dolphins, although I was too young to appreciate it or even care about it. And football's not really my game. I'm paying attention today, and I want the Patriots to win so that I can witness "rare and special" in my lifetime.

Post-Game: Well, true to form, it seems that my support has ruined a championship for yet another team. That sucks.