Super Bowl Sunday Sentiments
Happy Super Bowl!
Most of you are, of course, aware of the fact that tonight Tampa Bay Buccaneers will "host" the Kansas City Chiefs in the 55th edition of the Super Bowl. I say "host" because it is the first time in Super Bowl history that the host of the event also plays in the event. Hosts are selected years in advance (think Olympics), and it has never happened that a team played or won at their home stadium. Pretty cool in and of itself.
You may be a bit surprised that I would bring up football or the Super Bowl for my weekly communication. This newsletter isn't usually about sports. But I want to bring up the Super Bowl for three reasons. First, to explain why I love football. Second, why I admire Tom Brady. And third, why if Tom wins, we all win.
Football
As a lover of America and now a resident of this remarkable country for 22 years, I have grown to really admire and love the game of football. Perhaps more for my non-US audience, I will try to explain why. I know, I know. What we call football here isn't really football, some of you will tell me. For one, they use their hands! But let's drop the semantics. Let's try to understand why this Sunday in America is special, and why this sport is such a big part of the American experience. Here is my take.
First, it's a short season. Only 16 games before the playoff. This means that every single game matters. It's like a giant playoff season. And when things matter, it just makes it more interesting and exciting.
Second, from my vantage point, the NFL is a well-managed institution where owners of individual teams (who own the league) fully recognize that for their team to win, the sport must keep thriving. The NFL, unlike so many of our other societal institutions, has better managed to nurture their collective interests, while also caring for their own. It sure is interesting to note that America’s favorite sport is more committed to cohesion and collective success more than our national politics comes close to expressing! Here are four examples (there are more, like strong unions!) that demonstrate a willingness to put the interest of the sport ahead of the interest of each team (let me add that NFL is NOT perfect. No one is. They could have done more on concussion protocol, injury prevention etc but today is about celebrating what I like, not what I dislike!).
Salary Caps – Introduced in 1994. Clearly, the league recognizes that in order to have a durable sport, you cannot allow some to “buy” themselves to dominance.
Draft System – Introduced in Football in 1935. Quite visionary. Basically, the poorest performing teams get the first pick of the best new players coming out of college. (There is more to it than that but that's the gist of it.) This helps level the playing field.
Revenue Sharing - perhaps the most surprising (to some) driver of parity and the league's sustained competitiveness. NFL evenly distributes many of its revenues including national broadcasting rights and home ticket sales to ensure that all teams, particularly those from smaller markets, have the same financial capacity to compete.
Video – Using modern technology to reduce the unfair impact of referee mistakes (which are understandable and unavoidable in any fast-moving action sport). Coaches have challenges and all-important scoring situations are automatically reviewed. While imperfect, these actions help to protect the integrity of the game.
Third, football is an incredibly strategic game. It's almost like a very physical version of chess. It's also highly unpredictable which makes it more exciting. Every team has a roster of players each season. And in each game, the active players keep changing due to injuries. Each player has their position, their strengths, and weaknesses, and offensive and defensive coordinators spend weeks preparing moves and plays designed to plot your strengths against the opponent's weaknesses. It's fascinating to watch. Then, of course, you have the nerves of the moment and the team's ability to execute the play perfectly. Let’s not forget the physical elements – players are oftentimes subjected to very cold temperatures and high winds. A well-designed play, when executed to perfection, is a beautiful thing to watch.
Fourth, and most relevant to where we find ourselves as a culture right now, is the need for a sense of belonging. Football, in a way, is part of American religion. It’s played on Sundays! If you follow football in America, it helps you belong. Right now, we are longing for belonging. Even if it is just a game. Or perhaps just because it is a game. We all can use a respite from partisan politics and mean-spirited division.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady, the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay, is playing in his 10th Super Bowl, which is more than 2x the prior record, and he is arguably the best player in the game. Now, or ever. At age 43, he is also the oldest player to start in a Super Bowl. I don't think it is comprehensible for anyone to digest these accomplishments. It's superhuman for sure. That's why they are worth unpacking. For starters, like all humans, Tom Brady is not perfect. But that's the point, really. Despite setbacks, errors of judgment, and criticism (some deserved, some perhaps more rooted in jealousy), he has kept his aim on the game and continues to reach heights no one thought was possible. When asked which Super Bowl is his favorite, he is fond of saying: "The next one."
Tom Brady played all his career for the New England Patriots. That is, until last year, when he parted ways to sign with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Patriots came closer to a dynasty than any other team in the history of the NFL. Therefore, Brady is adored in New England, and less so elsewhere. (Perhaps an understatement!) Many believe that Brady’s move to Tampa was motivated by a desire to prove that his talents on and off the field were not solely tied to the coaching brilliance of Bill Belichick or the resources and support from the owners and staff of the Patriots’ machine. That decision took both courage and conviction. Additionally, Tom remains invested in setting himself as an example of maintaining peak performance throughout all stages of life. Which, to me, is the real story.
Why is this worth pausing on?
Precisely because the heroes we celebrate matter. Humanity would be better if we all were more considered in our idolatry. When I was young, a dear family friend of mine, Ingvar Haskel, told me that "sports is a pseudo-event." I didn't like hearing that after my team had just lost a big match. But later in life, I realize he was right. It really doesn't matter. It's a game. Participation and having fun with it is what matters. Of course, everyone prefers to win. But, not everyone will. And certainly not all the time. Tom Brady to me signifies much more than winning a football game.
Here are a few dimensions of Tom Brady that are worth celebrating – beyond the game.
Defiance of Odds - Brady was the 199th Draft Pick in 2000. He likes to remind people that he was hardly genetically gifted to greatness. It is a different approach and a dedication to going against the grain that has helped him win 6 Super Bowl rings. He has beaten every odds. Every imaginable and unimaginable statistic, including now taking a new team to the championship game in his first year. In the midst of a challenging stretch for humanity, let's celebrate the defiance of odds. We need it now more than ever.
The Contrarian View - Tom Brady did NOT get here by doing what others do. He goes his own way. Does his own thing. He has developed his own strong beliefs, especially around his philosophies around how to stay fit. At its core, Brady has always believed that popular training methods, especially for elite athletes, were not designed for anyone wanting to play the long game. He considers the bigger picture, and it shows. Think about the fact that 70 percent of young athletes quit their organized sports by the age of 13, either because they no longer find it enjoyable or because of injuries. As he has shared, strength training that pushes a quarterback to try and bench press hundreds of pounds is hardly appropriate for someone whose job it is to throw something weighing 16oz or less.
Tom Brady leads the charge towards a more natural and sustainable approach to performance training, one that is more holistic. Many of the principles he follows are common sense, not just for professional athletes, but for anyone who wants to live a healthier lifestyle. He’s famously disciplined in what he eats and drinks (big on organic and seasonal foods and hydration with a rule of thumb to drink half your body weight in ounces each day), HOW he trains (pliability focused – particularly, the process by which we can keep our muscle fibers supple and elongated), how he recovers (sleep), and what kind of mindset and brain health exercises he continues to practice. This approach is very different from most top athletes and, at least to me, a major reason for why he is still going strong. Overall, he has summarized his practices as “PREHAB over REHAB.” This is analogous to the approach we need in order to fix our overall health crises. We need more prevention, less medication. He focuses on what his body needs to do and maximizes his ability to recover after.
Durability - Perhaps this, more than anything else, is a reason to celebrate. We live in a short-term world with long-term problems. Anyone who sets their mind on a 20-30 year goal, regardless of whether it has been done before or whether it even can be done, is worth celebrating. Brady has stated publicly that he wants to play professional football until he is at least 45, and perhaps even longer. The greatest achievements we need in our society are generational challenges. The next point is not as important as the long game we all play. Winning one ring, one cup, making a killing in one quarter on the stock market, or acing one test are all good things. But they aren't great things. Great things happen when we dedicate ourselves to something durable.
I have no idea if Tom and the Buccaneers will win tonight. Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs are a formidable opponent and represent something quite rare as defending Super Bowl champions. It’s something that has only happened 8 times in the 55-year history of the Super Bowl. And yes, Tom Brady's Patriots were, of course, one of those. I am a huge admirer of Mahomes and Kansas, as well. And with his raw and nearly peerless talent, Mahomes might very well be our next superstar quarterback. I do hope he is inspired by Tom Brady, and that we will see him playing in 20 years.
So, whether Chiefs or Buccaneers win tonight, I feel we are all winners. We should celebrate the enormous achievements of Tom Brady and what he proved yet again this season by bringing his inspiration, leadership, and athletic talents to a new team and taking them all the way to the Super Bowl. Against all odds.
Here is some inspiration around Tom Brady:
Frank Bruni had a similar story on Tom Brady which inspired me to write this piece.
Another similar piece. But this one from Boston is particularly admirable since they were disappointed with Brady when he left them.
Speaking about character, this one moved me. After the Buccaneers eliminated the Saints a few weeks ago, Tom Brady came down to see Drew Brees, another quarterback giant who very well might have just played his last game and spent time with his family, including throwing a great pass to their son. So sweet.
If you want to learn more or try some of the TB12 products that have been developed with Brady’s philosophies in mind, please visit TB12. I personally love the body band kits and the vibrating foam roller and sphere designed to increase one’s pliability. (Full disclosure: my partners and I at Cue Ball have a very small investment in TB12.)
Since it is Super Bowl, here is Chipotle's first-ever Super Bowl commercial. I am so proud of them for elevating and reactivating the purpose that was always at the core of the brand' Good for them. Good for the world.
Enjoy Super Bowl. Good luck to both teams. And whether Tom wins or not, he deserves to be celebrated as a winner. What led him here are things we all would benefit from having more of! Including appreciating someone who is NOT on YOUR team. We all can practice exercising that particular muscle. I am a Chicago Bears Fan. So, I don’t really care who wins. But I do care what, why, and who we all celebrate and admire. There are MVP's in games and there are MVP's in life. He is certainly the latter.
Enjoy the game. It’s a metaphor for life!
