I normally don't watch a lot of professional football.
Sitting around watching the Cleveland Browns take on the Kansas City Chiefs isn't really my idea of a good weekend. The NFL is different and kind of funny in that most of the games that are played don't really have any significance at all. If the Arizona Cardinals win or lose on any given Sunday, it doesn't really matter.
Yet a handful of games every season have an overwhelming amount of cultural importance. That's why the Superbowl is a part of everyone's collective conscious; it means something. Superbowl Sunday transcends itself into an event. Certain football games have the ability to become more than what they superficially are; this doesn't really happen in any other sport. This is the reason why there is always a football game on Thanksgiving. The game has become part of the tradition. It doesn't matter if anyone necessarily cares about football because the games have a higher meaning simply because they are played on Thanksgiving Day and watching guys clobber each other is infinitely more interesting than watching a fruity parade or having a conversation with your boring aunt.
This weekend, when the Indianapolis Colts met the New England Patriots, the game had significance. On the surface, it meant something because these two teams are evenly matched and have built up a rivalry over the past few years. This is true, but it's not the reason this game was so important.
This game was notable because it boiled down to the two most iconic quarterbacks in the league going head to head: Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady. To see them square off against one another had a certain social impact. Outwardly, there's not much difference between them; they are two guys, entering the middle of their careers, who get paid large sums of money to throw footballs and appear in credit card commercials. Although they are a lot alike, they've got a lot of differences between them and that makes for good football.
Manning was the golden child, the heir to the football throne. He is the all-time leading passer at the University of Tennessee. He was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. He puts up phenomenal numbers and has established himself as probably the most talented quarterback in the NFL. Yet, despite these accomplishments, he has yet to win a Superbowl.
Brady, on the other hand, was backup quarterback for Michigan and was the 199th pick in the draft. He was backup quarterback for the Patriots until a fluke injury thrust him into the spotlight. Throughout his career he's only put up decent numbers. Yet, despite his flaws, he's got three Superbowl rings.
They're reverse negatives of each other.
I respect both of them, because they're good at what they do and they are the only two quarterbacks who look like they're having any fun. But what sets these two guys apart from each other is that while Brady thinks football is a pretty cool game, Manning thinks football is essential to life. And what makes it even better is that they are both hyper-aware of their own self images and what it really means to be an NFL quarterback.
Look at it this way - the Colts beat the Patriots Sunday night.
Manning, the role-model of a quarterback, won the game and undoubtedly went home with a smile on his face and watched replay videos and highlight reels.
Brady, the rock star of a quarterback, lost the game and undoubtedly went home with a smile on his face and slept with a super model. They've both got the right idea - victory is all how you look at it.
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