Betty for MVP

While at my gym today I noticed a woman, whom I will call "Betty" -- probably in her 70's -- that I have seen there several times. I have never talked with Betty but have always noticed her because she has to walk around the gym with the aid of a cane. I do not know if she has severe arthritis or some other medical condition but what I DO know is that she is an inspirational athlete simply because she makes the effort to exercise despite her physical challenges.

So within the last 24 hours I saw athletes at the pinnacle of their sport -- the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts playing in the Super Bowl -- coupled with a rather frail neighbor simply staying active. Of course no one scalped tickets to watch Betty exercise :) but I did hear on one of my favorite talk radio shows today ("Garage Logic" on KSTP AM 1500) that a father and son from Chicago had paid $4,800 per Super Bowl ticket so $9,600 total.

As regular readers know I LOVE football in all forms -- NFL, college, CFL, AFL, NFL Europe, Australian Rules, and maybe even Pop Warner football if my nephew or godson play someday -- but I would never be able to justify spending $10,000 to take my son to the Super Bowl. Disposable income like that amount would be better spent paying for a junior year abroad so my child could learn about another culture and hopefully learn a foreign language.

Personally I loved this year's Super Bowl -- although why don't we see some trick plays used in the Super Bowl like Boise State University used this past season including the hook and ladder and Statue of Liberty to add some excitement? A little trickeration goes a long way to mix up the game a bit. One observation I did not read in the sports pages or hear on talk radio is the fact that the Indianapolis Colts play in the RCA Dome but the Chicago Bears play in the open air Soldier Field. That very fact should have given the Bears the advantage in the game given the downpour of rain in Miami for this year's Super Bowl but that was not the case. Clearly the Colts had the talent and killer instinct to win this game. I was particularly impressed with Peyton Manning's ability to throw a touch down pass while a Bear defender had his arm wrapped around Manning's rib cage as he threw the ball. Now that is athleticism and a clear ability to concentrate under pressure.

Enjoy the Pro Bowl,

Todd