Why I Was Pulling for #18

43-8.

That's a rough score to swallow.

Seattle fans aside, I don't think anyone likes to see a Super Bowl play out that way. When it comes to the big games, you want the big plays... big moments that turn into bigger memories.

What happened tonight was only a big disappointment.

Full disclosure: I was cheering for the Broncos to win. It's not that I'm a die hard Denver fan, (and there are definitely worse teams to lose a Super Bowl ring to than the Seahawks) but I am lover of all things Manning, and I really wanted Peyton to pull this win off.

Why?

I just really love his story.

Sports are always exciting to watch, but when those sports start to encompass more than just the play on the field... when you know the stories of the people engaging... they become something more.

They become relevant.

Cheering for a team is fun. Cheering for an idea is electrifying.

That's my woman's perspective, anyway. As a woman, I know I'm quick to join any plight that sparks from a romantic notion. But I suspect there are plenty of others out there like me, who yearn to see players become characters, and who start to invest more emotion in people than in the mere outcome of the game.

Do you remember the weeks following the Iron Bowl? Of course you do. The animosity in this state was unbearable. That game did wicked, wicked things to the already barely contained equilibrium that is Tide/Tiger fandom. But in the weeks that followed, there was a video that dominated my Facebook feed. (I mean other than the one with that UnGodly, luck of the Plains play that resulted in the most haunting and unspeakable of conclusions.) It was this one that told the story of Alabama Quarterback AJ McCarron and the friendship he fostered with equipment manager AJ Starr. That video was everywhere, and it was always touching to see both sides of the state passing it through their channels and sharing a relationship of such undeniable warmth.

Even in times of hostility, we were all suckers for a good story.

One of the best things about watching sports is it gives us a real life medium to watch these stories play out, and it does so in a way that is incredibly satisfying. Every game is reality TV with sincerity. The narrative is unscripted; the outcomes are unpredictable; and the preparation has been years in the making. It is exhilarating to watch so many dreams unfold.

Circle back to Peyton Manning.

I watched ESPN's film The Book of Manning shortly after it aired.

I loved it.

Archie Manning is the kind of person you want to emulate in everything that you do. He is kind, gentle, incredibly charming- the very picture of southern class. It's not surprising to me that a young Peyton would revere having Archie as his father, but it's no less adorable to see that reverence materialize.

Watch from 17:11 to 18:45 to see my favorite part of the whole film.



When Peyton was a child, he got his hands on old radio broadcasts from Archie's college days at Ole Miss. He admits to listening to them over and over again. The moment that absolutely pulls at my heart strings is when present Peyton, at age 37, is still able to recite his father's offensive linemen, their names and their hometowns, in the order they were called out on those tapes.

Can we just let that sink in for a minute?

Peyton was so enthralled with his father and what he could do on a football field, that he would listen to a recording of games that happened years before he was born. He listened so attentive and played them so many times that he memorized the names of the players in sequence.

What kid does that?

I can't even imagine sitting down and listening to audio recordings, much less a child having the attention span for it. (Maybe like in 1940 when all you have for entertainment is FDR's fireside chats, but this is the late 1970's we're talking about.) That's impressive. And incredibly endearing.

And I say all of that to say this:

I'm remarkably sorry for Peyton for the way things played out tonight. In a game where he should have been playing for his legacy, he barely got out with his pride.

However, I still find his story compelling.

And the image of a boy loving and chasing after a game because of the way his father played it... well, that's an idea I'm never going to get tired of rooting for.

Let's hope he doesn't make us anytime soon.