Everybody Loves A Winner

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on winning Super Bowl XLIV. Indianapolis was heavily favored, but ultimately lost out to a team that the rest of America wanted to win. Apart from the blowjob the media gave to Peyton Manning (how great he is, four-time MVP, record holder, blah, blah, blah...) every single pre-game story was about the city of New Orleans, the inhabitants, the longtime fans, the franchise, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina etcetera, etcetera... And of course against the Colts any team is an underdog, giving the neutral onlooker someone clear and justified to cheer for. New Orleans craved the championship more than Indy, needed it more than Indy...

And yet it was so blatant that America wanted the Saints to win, it was almost unfair to the Colts. The key was the challenge at the two-point conversion. It was clear Sean Payton had to go for two and throw the challenge flag, even my Dutch colleagues could see that. The call could have gone either way, though. It wasn't clear that the player had possession all the time, and whether he was across the goal line when he had possession... even commentators Theismann and Papa made clear reference that the conversion failed. And if it had, the score would have been 22-17, putting the game on edge, and giving the Colts a little more rope to pull themselves up with.

In the end even the officials decided in their own way that the world would be a better place with New Orleans as Super Bowl Champion. So the call was made, the Saints had a 7-point lead, and the Colts were stuck in a rut, knowing they could only reliably tie the game. And when Manning surrendered by throwing a pick-six, it was all over.

Are the Saints the justified and deserved winner of the game? Yes. They kept pace with Indianapolis and pulled some gutsy moves (on-side kick) to get to the position they were in. But they did have support and sympathy in all the right places.