I will admit I was a bandwagon Falcons fan this weekend. I don’t usually root for the Falcons, but as a Georgia resident I didn’t have to think twice about cheering on our “local” team. Plus, they were the underdogs and I seem to be hardwired to cheer for underdogs. Like so many, I could not

believe how well the first half of the Superbowl went for Atlanta. And like so many I could not believe how poorly the second half went. It was almost like watching two different football games. But, I’m sure it’s easier for me as a bandwagon fan, than those who actually had a lot of emotional investment in the outcome of the game. I had enough as it was.

There is a measurable effect in a community when a team loses a major championship game. I remember reading an article about the uptick in car accidents, heart attacks, and other unpleasant things when a team loses a major showdown. In other words, this might not be the best time to get something done in our state capital. It might not be the best time to get stuck in rush hour traffic - everyone is already in a bad mood. And, it may not be the time to try to a new initiative in your Atlanta based business. Lord help the executive who announced cost-cutting measures the day after the big game!

Now, we will hear some say, “Oh well, at least they made it the big show. Even if they lost it’s an honor.” It certainly doesn’t feel that way when it happens to you though.   I’m going to guess those weren’t the consoling words shared in the Falcon’s locker room in Houston. That would have been one of those moments where someone says, “Too soon.” Instead most players and fans probably replayed any number of moments in the game when something could have gone differently that would have changed the outcome; a penalty that cost yards, a catch almost made, or even a slight hesitation on the line. 

I heard about a local basketball player who missed a buzzer beater shot that would have handed her team the victory. Afterwards she was beating herself up. Fortunately for her, she had a teammate who was able to point out that there had been an entire game of decisions and actions that set up the close finish. It wasn’t really on her shoulders just because she happened to have the ball in the final seconds. It’s good to have friends like that, because it certainly isn’t where our mind goes on its own. 

I’ve seen this effect in few other places recently, too. As we have searched for a firm to help us with our Master Planning, I have been the main point of contact for most of the firms. We narrowed down a field of eighteen to seven. Recently we narrowed it down from seven to three. It’s hard to be the one to tell the four you haven’t selected that they didn’t make it, knowing what they invested in the process. I also have had that experience when letting finalists down in a job search. And of course after the votes are tallied from Vestry elections I get to call four people with good news and four people with bad news. 

No one puts themself out there on the line of scrimmage without wanting to win, to be selected, or to be chosen. It’s not as impersonal as losing the lottery when we have emotional or temporal or physical investment in an outcome. And we know that it hurts on some level when it doesn’t go our way. We’ve all been there at one time or another. I know from being on a neutral footing with several of these processes that people really are grateful for those willing to put themselves out there, and genuinely sorry that we can’t always have everyone come out on top. It would have been nice had both Atlanta and New England been able to celebrate a historic game equally. But that’s not the way it works. 

We put ourselves out there again and again in different contexts. We put our heart, soul, mind, and energies into seeking outcomes. And it takes a bit out of us not to get it. Fortunately we don’t come up short all the time. We do get our victories from time to time, and they are what keep us going. And, in time, we do see how even the times we come up short shape us and shape who we are and who we are becoming.  And, because we know what it is like to come up short, we can be like the basketball teammate and help people see out of their despair when they are down. We know people who lose business, lose elections, and lose games. None of them is truly the end of the world, thanks be to God.

So, if you’re reeling from the Superbowl outcome or celebrating, be kind to yourself and to others. We all win some and we all lose some, and we keep on going. Remember, God doesn’t care who won the Superbowl but God loves you, and cares about what happens to you. That may not be the trophy, the promotion, the contract, or the nomination we wanted, but it ain’t nothing.

Tom

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.  BCP p. 233