I am a Packers fan for many reasons - I like their uniforms, I like their ethos and their history (which remind me somewhat of Yorkshire), I like the name (and the initials, GB, which is like Great Britain) - and of course, the socialist side of me likes their ownership! (A USian once told me that "nothing worthwhile is done on a not-for-profit basis; well, I checked and ownership of the Packers is done on a not-for-profit basis, and try telling a Packers shareholder tonight that that isn't worthwhile!)
So, I was sat on my couch and had my heart in my mouth as the Steelers started their final drive, knowing that "Big Ben" is renowned for his performance in such situations. And then, when the 4th down pass was ruled incomplete, I was singing my own version of Baddiel and and Skinner's Euro Cup/FIFA World Cup hit:
"It's coming home/ it's coming home/ it's coming/ football's coming home/
It's coming home/ it's coming home/ it's coming/ Lombardi's coming home"
It's a huge credit to the way that the Packers organisation has approached building their team that with 15 players ruled out for the season by injury, they managed to find people to step in and play and win the games they needed to. They went the long way round, as 6th seed in the NFC, playing away throughout the playoffs (and with the extra game in the Wildcard round).
And the Superbowl game mirrored this in some ways. Three key players were hurt during the game and couldn't play the 2nd half. They missed making some big plays, and gave up a few, to allow the Steelers back to within 3 points after having at one stage an 18 point lead. But somehow they came through it all and showed why they deserved to be champions.
But equally, the Steelers could have claimed the same - if they made just one more score (or turned the ball over one fewer time!) then it would be they who celebrated, and they were just as worthy of winning. This was a great contest between two great teams, and well worth staying up until 4am to see it (and write this blog post about it!)
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