5. How you begin is how you finish…unless you’re The New York Giants.

How you start is how you finish: if you started as the side chick, you’ll end up as the side chick (or, worse, as the woman being cheated on). You’d think the same is true for football, but not so much. The Giants won the Super Bowl last year, and spent a good portion of the season with only two losses, but then somehow things fell apart. They didn’t even make the playoffs. Fans (like my brother and his wife) cite the lack of a secondary, but I could care less. As a Jets fan,  it’s a relief. No one wants to hear Giants fans gloating about their elite quarterback. It’s kinda like those people who gloat about their boyfriends on Facebook: “he’s perfect, he’s lovely, he has two Super Bowl wins…blah blah blah” – we’re all rooting against you on the low. Sorry…

6. We tend to ignore the flaws when things are working.

This can be applied to so many facets of the NFL – from brain injuries to violent behavior – but I’m talking about steroids. You didn’t hear it from me, but according to an article on Deadspin, Ray Lewis has been using banned substances for years. And, while we’re on the subject, I’m just going to throw out a wild speculation: I think Adrian Peterson’s knees are made of steroids. I’m not here to debate the use of banned substances in sports, I’m simply saying that, sometimes in all of the excitement, we overlook signs of corruption and decay. We act surprised when a football player commits suicide or turns up years later with early onset dementia, but week after week we watch them put their bodies through immense trauma. We do the same in our relationships. If the Instagram pictures are popping, we can pretend we’re happy. Just because we’re winning doesn’t mean we’re playing well…

See Also:  From Her, 6 Post-Breakup Behaviors to Avoid

7. Bros before …Bowls.

So the big story of this super bowl is Jim and John Harbaugh. They will be battling it out for the big game. They will be the first brothers to ever coach against each other in the Super Bowl.  I don’t know if anyone really cares; but the media wants us to care, so I suppose we will. What I’ve learned, after spending countless Sundays crying into a bowl of self-loathing, is that your bros (or, in my case, ladies) are the ones who pick you up, push you out of the house, and take you to Miami. Yes, we all want the ring. Yes we all want to win. But at the end of the day, it’s about your family. When the game has been played and someone goes home a loser, your family and friends hold you down.

8. You CAN still be awesome after injury.

I am not the only person who thought Peyton Manning would be a vegetable by now. No, I’m not. Even the Indianapolis Colts, his former team, didn’t think that he was the future of their franchise. With all of the doubt and speculation, Peyton recovered from his neck injury, was signed by the Denver Broncos, and is poised to be MVP this year. Granted, if Tim Tebow could take the Broncos into the playoffs last season, Manning isn’t exactly a miracle worker, BUT that’s not the point. The point is that no matter how bad the injury, it IS possible to recover. You might be out for a game or even a season, but if you’re willing to take the risk of re-injury, you can be awesome again.  Whether you end up on a new team, or you’re able head back to your old franchise, you can come back. And clearly, you can come back with style.

See Also:  Letter To My Girlfriend About Football

So folks, I’m no sports writer, but these are my observations. Ladies and Gents, let me know what lessons your favorite sports moments can teach us about love?

Patia Braithwaite is a Brooklyn-based relationship writer. Her work has been featured in The Coral Gables Gazette, Florida Inside Out Magazine, Yahoo Shine, and BounceBack.com. She’s currently working on a non-fiction book that explores the various ways men see God and how these views impact their romantic relationships. Check out her musings and more at: www.menmyselfandgod.com.

Pages: 1 2