THE SUPER Bowl champion Patriots and their incredible season are a dream come true for long-suffering Boston fans such as myself, but also a needed shot in the arm for spectator sports. Though I have little doubt that the mere mention of the Super Bowl will compel countless readers to toss away this column, the unimaginable circumstances which led to the realization of this impossible dream demand my attention on the subject. It wasn't merely a good show or the long-awaited championship for Boston fans that makes this such a sweet victory, but the restoration of the tarnished image of sports. The scandals and big money of the 1990s drove many fans away from the egocentrism of many popular players. Reversing the trend, the Patriots epitomize the ideals of the selfless team at a time when the nation wanders desperately in search of a unifying force to rally behind.
Driven by obscene amounts of money, professional sports have been marred by scandals and individualism has reigned over the team - until the Patriots came along. They were far from the most talented, but the Patriots will go down as one of the greatest teams in history because of their will as a team. The star quarterback's graceful recession to the bench for the good of the team, the choice to forgo individual introductions at the big game, the jettisoning of the talented but troublesome Terry Glenn, the plethora of silent heroes and the confidence in each other allowed David to defeat the mighty Goliath Rams. This unique understanding of what it means to be a team player had been lost by the showboating of Deion "Prime Time" Sanders and Nate Newton's trafficking of hundreds of pounds of marijuana. But just in the nick of time, the Patriots have reclaimed it for all fans.
As a Boston native and ardent Patriot fan, the game certainly was of great significance for me, but interest at this sports-loving University was nowhere to be found. The enthusiasm and intense rush of adrenaline involved in watching your team in the big game is nearly indescribable, but not foreign to University students who passionately supported the basketball team last week in a heartbreaking loss to Maryland. At the end of the night, a game is just a game, but watching a sporting event at one's own school induces unadulterated pride and spirit - something that has been extinct in professional sports. There is a purity involved in watching college athletes compete with passion for their sport and their college that envelops the spectator and makes the event special. The purity of professional sports has been diluted by arrogant, rich, spoiled punks. Until the Patriots' victory Sunday, the trend looked certain to continue.
Despite the odds, the Patriots emerged from the egotism and individualism of popular sports and brought back the idea of the team. It would take forever to recount the whole season, but here's a quick summary to show what made the Patriots' season so remarkable. After residing in the gutter of the league for two years, the coach selected a motley crew of unwanted players and guided them to the top of the division despite losing the star quarterback and wide receiver for nearly the whole year. As they entered the playoffs, the luck was certain to run out, but they won three games against teams that were superior in nearly all respects. Though players like Tom Brady and Antowain Smith emerged from obscurity, they were but tiny pieces in the puzzle. Years from now, children will hear of the many great Rams players, but few Patriots will reach the public consciousness. But if you ask any Patriot player, they don't care.
As the lingering shadow of Sept. 11 loomed over the Super Bowl, the night was filled with attempts to recapture the spirit of America, and the Patriots provided the perfect emblem of that spirit. Of course it does seem nice that a team named the Patriots could win the Super Bowl right after Sept. 11, but the spirit of defying the odds and creating unity are what separate this team from the rest. In the week leading up to the game, analysts and fans alike viewed a Patriot victory as less likely than George Bush choking on another pretzel. Everyone told the Patriots that they couldn't win. In the wake of one of the largest upsets in Super Bowl history, analysts and the Rams only suggest that the giant's worst enemy is itself and the Rams lost the game more than the Patriots won it. But the truth is that their worst enemy was their polar opposite, a united team of vagabonds with nothing to lose.
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As Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk took their personal moments in the spotlight during the pre-game introductions, the Patriots quietly took the field as one. Typifying the unique underdog status of the team, the Super Bowl MVP quarterback Tom Brady played well enough to win, but was far from impressive. The same goes for nearly every other player on the team. They lacked the talent and power, but whenever a big play needed to be made, they would come together and make it. Brady even donated the league's gift of a Cadillac to his teammates. Individualism is not in the Patriots vocabulary.
Without a doubt, all 35 Super Bowl winners before them were more talented, but few were as a good a team. And now that they have won the first championship in the franchise's history, all the analysts are saying that they can't do it again. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. But the one thing that is certain is that they proved that the big names and big money can't make up for the heart, dedication and community that inspired this win. Go Pats!
(Brad Cohen's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at bcohen@cavalierdaily.com.)
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