Super Bowl Reflections

Being from Kansas City, football is deep in my culture.  The hometown Chiefs are as big as anything in town.  With Mahomes at the helm, this team has been hot the past three years (and probably will remain hot for years to come).  This year's Super Bowl provides some interesting perspective for me (and perhaps others).

One Year Ago

The Chiefs were in last year's Super Bowl and were back again this year.  For us in KC, it provides an interesting contrast during this first year of the COVID pandemic.  

My life looks completely different today.  A year ago, Jen and I rooted on the Chiefs as we watched the game at home.  Today, neither Jen nor that home is in my life.

A year ago, my life had natural weekly rhythms around Kansas City activities and deep roots.  Today, none of those exists and I am on sabbatical in Costa Rica.  It is very isolating to be in a foreign place with no friends, roots, or connections.

A year ago, Henry was struggling with middle school.  Well, that still remains the same, but the four-person family and home and traditions are gone.  It must make it even harder for Henry today to navigate the pandemic during his teenage years.

Florida

This year's Super Bowl is in Tampa, while last year's game was in Miami.  Interesting, considering Jen and I were in Miami right before the Super Bowl and took our last trip together to the Tampa area in March.  I haven't seen her since Tampa.  We had spent significant time in FL in recent years and were talking about how to increase that time on the beach.  

US vs CR Cultures

While this Super Bowl is a big deal for me and many in KC, it isn't that interesting to Costa Rica.  Like so many other countries around the world, they hear "football" and think of the game that the US calls soccer. 

Generational Shifts

I spend a lot of time thinking about generational shifts in context of me and my son.  I'm trying to understand what is important to his generation and to remind myself that they will not live the same life my generation has. 

This Super Bowl gave us yet another opportunity to see a generational shift in motion.  Tom Brady is the greatest of all time.  He has played 21 seasons, gone to 10 Super Bowls, and won 7.  No one else has come close to that success.

Patrick Mahomes was in kindergarten when Brady played in his first Super Bowl! Mahomes is a special player, and I would love to see his career exceed Brady's.  I would love for him to take Kansas City to 11 Super Bowls over the next twenty years.  I would love to see him win 8.  I know Kansas City would be supercharged by that success just like Boston has enjoyed Brady. 

Cultural Influences

In the US, sports are an important part of our culture.  Some would suggest sports are too important. 

I'll sidestep that conversation, but I do remember when I went to Guatemala in 2013 as part of a leadership initiative.  We were told how Guatemalans do not have sports icons like the US does, and we cannot point to those as examples.  It won't culturally translate.  This lesson was reinforced when I went to Paraguay in 2016.  

And now that I'm in Costa Rica, I'm reminded yet again that they don't look up to sports icons like we do in the US.  The US is one of the few countries that will deeply connect to icons from professional sports.  I can connect to Brady's success and be motivated by the hard work that leads to achievement at the highest levels.  I suspect most of my fellow US citizens can too.  But it doesn't seem to work this way in most of the world.