Football is a Finite Game in a World of Infinite Possibilities

The New England Patriots are the Super Bowl Champions. There is no exclamation point after this statement as in truth I am not a Patriots fan. That is, not in a football fan sense. I write this while sitting in my home in Pittsburgh, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are the team that the Patriots vanquished on their way to yet another appearance in America’s biggest spectacle in sports. If that is not enough, the city I was born in, and the one I still call home after more than 20 years away is Philadelphia. My Mother still lives in the city of Brotherly Love, and Sisterly Affection. So in the sense of a fan of football, the New England victory for me is a non event. What emotion I have invested in yesterday’s game was probably more a sense of disappointment for my family and friends who remain devoted Eagles Fans.

For me the Super Bowl and football in general provides an opportunity to observe the similarities, analogies, and examples of how much sport mirrors every day life. It seems that everyone that writes about or talks about personal leadership considers football a rich source of analogy, metaphor and comparison. I am no different from my colleagues (so am I calling myself some sort of great thinker here) in this regard.

Most of us that watch football games mark the Super Bowl as the official end of the football season, the final game after seven months of highs and lows. No serious fan considers the Pro Bowl game as anything more than an opportunity to bring well deserved recognition to the standouts in the game. Yet, we don’t count that game as a part of the season. James P. Carse wrote in his book Finite and Infinite Games that there are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play. Using Carse’s definition we accept that football is a finite game and as such must have a defined end. In finite games we mark the end when the players in the game come to an agreement that a winner has been declared. The opinions of the fans, the officials and the press are not relevant to making that determination despite what you read in the papers or hear on Sports Center. The players have agreed that the New England Patriots are their champions of the game, and we must console ourselves with the hopes and dreams of next year. That is what happens in a finite game. But what does this game teach us about the far more important infinite game, the game we call life, and trying to live it with integrity, values and balance, living with V.O.I.C.E. Perhaps I can make a few observations that would serve us well.

Having declared my impartiality to the New England Patriots there are a number of observations I want to make about this team. This is a group of guys that could teach us all something about what constitutes a great team. I will not dwell on the fact that many athletes are over paid, immature, and horrible role models. I also don’t want to engage in a discussion of how difficult it is to explain to my nine year old sons why one of the negative side effects of Cialis (the four hour negative side effect) can be a problem. If you are concerned about these things you could always just turn off the television. Still, I will say for the record that the Go-Daddy.com commercial got the biggest laugh out of me. Sorry for my lack of maturity in this regard, but the truth is the truth and the truth will set you free!

The New England Patriots are led by Bill Belichick. Many football observers say he is a genius. With all due respect to the genius of men like Einstein, George Washington Carver, or Jonas Salk, this is a pretty serious accolade. While I don’t know if Belichick is a genius, he has led his team to their third Super Bowl Championship. He has won ten out of eleven playoff games in a league where the teams are equally talented. Is he a genius? Maybe yes, maybe no, but I would take a leader of his caliber in any endeavor I was asked to undertake. Let’s look at some the players. There is Corey Dillon, the supposed malcontent whose moods and attitude made him a disappointment in Cincinnati. This year he ran for over 1,600 yards eclipsing all of his prior seasons and was a significant contributor to the success of this team. Commenting on yesterday’s win his teammates said they were happy for him and wanted this victory as a vindication for him. What does that say of the character of this man when in just his first year on the team his teammates would play a game to give meaning to his career? There is Tedy Bruschi, the veteran linebacker who when described by Mike Vrabel was called intense, passionate, productive, smart, and physical. What would your teammates say about you if you were not in the room? On a personal note, Bruschi recently said that he quit drinking five or six years ago because he wanted to be “the best father he could be.” How are you doing on that one?

Today the sports analysts will be divided on who should have won the MVP award. Deion Branch won the award for his performance in last night’s game. This is a young man that did not have grades good enough to get him into his preferred college (he began his football career at Jones County Junior College). He was picked thirty-third in the draft in 2002, and he is only five foot nine inches tall. When the Patriots drafted him they were criticized for making a bad pick. Last night he caught every ball thrown in his direction (eleven). No fumbles, no excuses just flat out played. When the game has been on the line could you say that you have performed so well? Going back to Mike Vrabel, he is a standout linebacker for this team. Yet, when called upon to perform in the completely different role of tight end (not his job) he has caught two Super Bowl touchdown passes, one of which reflected his athletic abilities and intense concentration. What will you do the next time someone asks you to do something different?

If you talk about football you can not ignore the role of the quarterback as the “field general” for the team. In New England Tom Brady has that role. This twenty-seven year old with only five years experience in the league has now won his third Super Bowl title. Would you trust a “kid” with such an awesome responsibility? Brady is a superstar by any conventional definition. Yet, when talking about their victory he called his team “just a hard working bunch of guys that do their best to win every week”. It is no wonder to me that his head still fits easily into his helmet.

The football season is over, but football is just a finite game. As we all “wait until next year” perhaps we can spend the off-season applying the lessons that this team has taught us to the far more important infinite game of life in which all we really want to do is continue play.

Happy Birthday Rob!