We have a new world leader in office, a new NFL franchise worthy of the title ‘America’s Team’, and a new tennis giant standing firm at number one. But wait a second! All of this is old news you might say. Well, while it’s true there’s no surprise these events transpired the manner in which history played out was beyond thrilling.
January was a month full of potential as power changed hands in Washington, DC, and throughout the globe. Tremendous expectations for a speech by the world’s celebrated orator met with the bitter cold reality of a global economic meltdown on the catastrophic, radioactive scale of Chernobyl. Thousands of entitled purple ticket-holders turned blue from disappointment and dropping mercury as their piece of history was diminished to a destiny of underground AM/FM static, stuck in their cars land-locked in a congested carbon monoxide-filled tunnel. And much to the chagrin of millions of onlookers worldwide, Dick Cheney’s wheel chair never lost control sending the outgoing Vice President down the steps and over the bullet-proof glass barrier a la O.J. Simpson’s bad-luck Detective Nordberg in The Naked Gun.
In a phrase, ‘changing of the guard’ sums up 2009’s not-so-humble beginnings adequately. Beyond the purely political representations found in President-elect Barack Obama dropping the modifier on his title the world breathed a sigh of relief as George W. Bush hit the road headed for Midland, Texas (where presumably, the corruption and cronyism which followed him will only affect helpless rodeo and farm animals. Someone call PETA!). I would argue that the Pittsburgh Steelers victory in Super Bowl XLIII, the franchise’s sixth, serves as an exemplar of this dynamic as well, the victor wrestling the title of ‘America’s Team’ away from the dysfunctional Dallas Cowboys organization. And with flowing tears, the former unbeatable giant of tennis, Switzerland’s Roger Federer resigned as the sport’s torchbearer following a five-set victory by the Spanish Raphael Nadal at this year’s Australian Open.
Pittsburgh Steelers Emerge
Did we see it coming? Sure! But it’s significant that the embarrassment that is the Dallas Cowboys who have no qualms about signing players who ‘make it rain’ and giving former wide receiver Michael Irvin a reality TV show didn’t make the playoffs. Not playing past December, the current shell of an iconic franchise finally gave up the mantel. And the Pittsburgh Steelers brought off-blue collar excitement to a climax with thirty five seconds remaining on the clock in this year’s Super Bowl, not only reclaiming the Vince Lombardi trophy, and a national title, but the cultural title as ‘America’s Team’ with it.
This unquantifiable accomplishment was achieved not by a legendary Ben Roethliesberger second-time’s-a-charm pass to Santonio ‘two-toe-scraping’ Holmes in the final minute of a game televised in more than one hundred countries worldwide. In reality, this exciting finish only completed the sentence with an exclamation point. The real work was done four years prior when Steelers owner Dan Rooney replaced long-time head coach Bill Cowher with Mike Tomlin commonly mistaken as the initial implementation of the Rooney Rule.
Dan Rooney explained to Eric Boland of Newsday:
“Mike Tomlin was not part of the Rooney Rule. We had already interviewed Ron Rivera [then the Bears' defensive coordinator], and so that fulfilled the obligation," Rooney said. "We went on, had heard about Mike, called him in and talked to him. He was very impressive."
Impressive indeed. Rooney deserves credit for proposing such a rule to counteract the insidious cronyism in NFL front offices across the United States. Don’t believe me? Just ask Matt Millen whose decision to test the rule the same year it was implemented by hiring Steve Mariucci without interviewing any minority candidates resulting in a league bitch-slap in the form of $200,000. This should be viewed as more embarrassing to the franchise than the Lions’ winless 2008 season.
Rooney’s shrewd eye for talent and clear quantifiable success surpassing the Cowboys five titles this year stands out when one looks at the numbers. However, the evaluation of the team’s ability to separate from the pack culturally goes beyond the amount of terrible towels waving at away games. It’s an attitude that begins at the top, and Mike Tomlin exuded that attitude and toughness seen on the sideline clenching his teeth flexing his jaw line (not quite eclipsing Cowher’s famously amazing pulsating chin).
The youngest coach to win a Super Bowl, Tomlin stands atop the league, and we can only hope the NCAA takes a lesson from this historical moment in which a black man is the leader of ‘America’s Team’, let alone the free world. Makes you wonder what words will be spoken, and perhaps what won’t be said when Mike Tomlin and the Steelers visit Barack Obama in the White House this off-season.
Rafael Nadal Triumphant
Rafael Nadal has beaten Roger Federer before. We know that. In fact, Nadal has defeated the long-time Swiss standard-bearer on clay a number of times as was once Nadal’s surface of choice. In last year’s epic match on grass at Wimbledon, Nadal’s victory over Federer could be diminished referencing the multiple rain delays, and repeated stoppage of play perhaps shook the unshakeable. This past weekend in Melbourne Park, the crowds were astonished to find Roger Federer on the rocks, shaken, and emotions stirred.
Federer described his tear-filled outbreak as ‘decompressing’ before the entire world as he accepted his second-place trophy. I suppose he couldn’t hold it together long enough for his therapist to address these feelings of fleeting glory. According to L. Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated, Federer has yet to hire such a professional saying that “[he] clearly needs to consult a sports psychologist. We're past the point where visiting a sports shrink carries a stigma.”
Crying is showing weakness, but Federer showed his true frailty by losing the match in the first place and to a limping opponent no less. I must agree that a sports psychologist might be of assistance to Federer, but for only one man. No other tennis professional has had the success against Federer that Rafael Nadal has had. Nadal’s presence is like kryptonite claiming ten out of their fifteen head-to-head matches. Unless Federer hires Phil Jackson for some Zen sessions or perhaps Mugatu’s brainwashing could bring him to see Rafael Nadal as Derek Zoolander saw the Malaysian Prime Minister. Maybe then he’d have the chutzpah to defeat his Spanish foe and claim that elusive fourteenth grand slam title.
While Federer should ultimately surpass Sampras’ record, his dominance has waned. The champion has become the challenger and vice versa in what many believe to be the best rivalry in sport. At that same moment the twenty-two year old champ Rafael Nadal accepted his trophy at the Australian Open, he showed a rare gregarious poise in praising his distraught nemesis saying, "Roger is the greatest player I have ever seen. This was tough for him. He's a great champion." Later Nadal admitted to reporters it was difficult to celebrate in that context.
A changing of the guard indeed. Even if Federer does earn his fourteenth Grand Slam title tying Pete Sampras’ record in the coming months, this moment should prove definitive; the intersection of two career trajectories: one begins its decline, and another’s soars to new heights. The student becomes the teacher. Grab the pebble from my hand. Wait, you weren’t supposed to be able to actually grab it.
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