- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
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This is a sports-fable (my final one, I'm retiring!) inspired by Jerry Maguire.
Signing off,
====
Americans were cheering for professional American athletes amidst a flurry of controversial publicized allegations regarding the use of dangerous/illegal performance-enhancing steroids. Sports-fans turned to the NFL, since athletes in that league/sport were comparatively much stronger/bigger than those from other leagues/sports (e.g., NBA basketball). In the NFL, there were many storied teams, and the New England Patriots were considered the 'Super Bowl Team of the New Millennium' (having appeared in 7 whopping Super Bowl games and winning a whopping 5 of them!). The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, were considered the official 'Underdog Team of the New Millennium' (having appeared in 6 whopping NFC championship games but advancing to only one Super Bowl game from there...and then losing to the Patriots in that Super Bowl!). Those who loved 'underdog-storytelling' began collecting Eagles memorabilia.
Hollywood (USA) actress/celebrity Charlize Theron was a big Eagles fan and began wearing green-colored dresses/outfits to media-events and movie-premieres. Theron was a fan of NFL coaches who exhibited shrewd wisdom in leading athletes to sportsmanlike behaviors and therefore was an admirer of the iconic Eagles coach Buddy Ryan (reputed for his teamwork-ethics and friendship-oriented coaching philosophy). Theron knew that the indomitable Patriots, led by the Goliath-like QB Tom Brady and coached by the flourishing Mike Belichik, would simply destroy the 2017-2018 Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, now that the Eagles lost their phenom-QB Carson Wentz to a season-ending injury (torn-ACL). The Eagles also lost a great coach in recent years (Andy Reid) to the Kansas City Chiefs. Theron wanted to root for the Eagles upsetting the Patriots in Super Bowl 52 (and hence avenging their loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl 39). Theron wore a green-dress to a Hollywood (USA) movie premiere about an NFL coach titled The Greatest Yards.
Well, the scrappy Wentz-less 2017-2018 Eagles did manage to close out their season with two monumentally late-season impressive wins over the strong L.A. Rams and the never-predictable N.Y. Giants (the only team to have defeated Brady's Patriots in a Super Bowl game). Now, the Eagles downed the tough-looking Atlanta Falcons with a humble score of 15-10 and were sitting pretty in the NFC Championship waiting-round as the Vikings and Saints squared off to see who would face them. This would be yet another NFC Championship appearance for the Philadelphia Eagles (now led by young back-up QB Nick Foles), and they wanted to defeat their opponent, be they the Saints or the Vikings so they could move on to the elusive Super Bowl game (and most likely face Brady's super Patriots).
Fortunately, the Eagles did manage to defeat their NFC Championship game opponent (the strong Minnesota Vikings) and the Patriots predictably dismantled their AFC Championship opponent (the ambitious Jacksonville Jaguars). Super Bowl 52 was about to begin, and Foles' Eagles were extremely anxious about facing the monstrous Patriots and their Goliath-like QB Tom Brady. If the Eagles won Super Bowl 52, it would be the first in franchise-history. If the Patriots won Super Bowl 52, it would be an unprecedented 6 Super Bowl trophies for one team (the most of any team in American history!). Every sports-writer in America simply declared that the Patriots would (and should) win, and only die-hard Philly Eagles fans (e.g., Will Smith, Donald Trump, Charlize Theron, and countless Philly-natives) were cheering to see if the Eagles could finally achieve their ultimate dream (and do so by doing the seemingly impossible!).
Unfortunately, the Patriots destroyed the Eagles in Super Bowl 52, and Philly fans (including Charlize Theron) went home in a deep depression. Theron even wore a black dress to her next media-event to remind herself of the devastating loss. Never again would any sports-writer suggest that rooting for an underdog could yield serious spiritual thrills, as the fan-idealistic Eagles were simply dismantled by the brutish and coldly-efficient Brady-led Patriots in what was sure to be the icing on the giant cake of the Patriots' god-like run to achieving the supreme title of Super Bowl Team of the New Millennium (and arguably of all-time!). The Eagles would be remembered as the 'mighty mouse' who tried to down the 'egotistical elephant' but monumentally failed as the 'disappointed darling.' Eagles fans brooded for years about Super Bowl 52, and it was really more disappointing than even the heart-breaking loss by the Buffalo Bills to the N.Y. Giants in Super Bowl 25 (1991)! It was a dark time...
Theron did not completely give up, however. She rallied with her eco-politics activist co-celebrity friend Leo DiCaprio to create a 'green-color' themed eco-marketing campaign involving populism-politics friendly African-American comic book superhero Green Lantern John Stewart (DC Comics). The mini-media campaign involved GL John Stewart cheering for the 'Underdog Eagles' for a special eco-consciousness rally in Philadelphia (the proverbial 'City of Brotherly Love'). All attendees would wear green sweaters, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation would sponsor the media-covered event on Valentine's Day. GL John Stewart coincidentally therefore received some much-desired media-spotlight (for an ethnic-minority superhero), and Donald Trump called the eco-awareness rally a terrific media showcase. Theron said in an interview that the attendees at the Philly-rally wore green to honor not only GL John Stewart but also the green-grass of Philly's parks and the green uniforms of the city's much-honored (and unfortunately pitied) Philadelphia Eagles. That night, Theron had a dream while sleeping that the ghost of Buddy Ryan (former Eagles coach!) visited her and told her, "Thanks for giving Philly a nice green prayer."
====
Signing off,
====
Americans were cheering for professional American athletes amidst a flurry of controversial publicized allegations regarding the use of dangerous/illegal performance-enhancing steroids. Sports-fans turned to the NFL, since athletes in that league/sport were comparatively much stronger/bigger than those from other leagues/sports (e.g., NBA basketball). In the NFL, there were many storied teams, and the New England Patriots were considered the 'Super Bowl Team of the New Millennium' (having appeared in 7 whopping Super Bowl games and winning a whopping 5 of them!). The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, were considered the official 'Underdog Team of the New Millennium' (having appeared in 6 whopping NFC championship games but advancing to only one Super Bowl game from there...and then losing to the Patriots in that Super Bowl!). Those who loved 'underdog-storytelling' began collecting Eagles memorabilia.
Hollywood (USA) actress/celebrity Charlize Theron was a big Eagles fan and began wearing green-colored dresses/outfits to media-events and movie-premieres. Theron was a fan of NFL coaches who exhibited shrewd wisdom in leading athletes to sportsmanlike behaviors and therefore was an admirer of the iconic Eagles coach Buddy Ryan (reputed for his teamwork-ethics and friendship-oriented coaching philosophy). Theron knew that the indomitable Patriots, led by the Goliath-like QB Tom Brady and coached by the flourishing Mike Belichik, would simply destroy the 2017-2018 Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, now that the Eagles lost their phenom-QB Carson Wentz to a season-ending injury (torn-ACL). The Eagles also lost a great coach in recent years (Andy Reid) to the Kansas City Chiefs. Theron wanted to root for the Eagles upsetting the Patriots in Super Bowl 52 (and hence avenging their loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl 39). Theron wore a green-dress to a Hollywood (USA) movie premiere about an NFL coach titled The Greatest Yards.
Well, the scrappy Wentz-less 2017-2018 Eagles did manage to close out their season with two monumentally late-season impressive wins over the strong L.A. Rams and the never-predictable N.Y. Giants (the only team to have defeated Brady's Patriots in a Super Bowl game). Now, the Eagles downed the tough-looking Atlanta Falcons with a humble score of 15-10 and were sitting pretty in the NFC Championship waiting-round as the Vikings and Saints squared off to see who would face them. This would be yet another NFC Championship appearance for the Philadelphia Eagles (now led by young back-up QB Nick Foles), and they wanted to defeat their opponent, be they the Saints or the Vikings so they could move on to the elusive Super Bowl game (and most likely face Brady's super Patriots).
Fortunately, the Eagles did manage to defeat their NFC Championship game opponent (the strong Minnesota Vikings) and the Patriots predictably dismantled their AFC Championship opponent (the ambitious Jacksonville Jaguars). Super Bowl 52 was about to begin, and Foles' Eagles were extremely anxious about facing the monstrous Patriots and their Goliath-like QB Tom Brady. If the Eagles won Super Bowl 52, it would be the first in franchise-history. If the Patriots won Super Bowl 52, it would be an unprecedented 6 Super Bowl trophies for one team (the most of any team in American history!). Every sports-writer in America simply declared that the Patriots would (and should) win, and only die-hard Philly Eagles fans (e.g., Will Smith, Donald Trump, Charlize Theron, and countless Philly-natives) were cheering to see if the Eagles could finally achieve their ultimate dream (and do so by doing the seemingly impossible!).
Unfortunately, the Patriots destroyed the Eagles in Super Bowl 52, and Philly fans (including Charlize Theron) went home in a deep depression. Theron even wore a black dress to her next media-event to remind herself of the devastating loss. Never again would any sports-writer suggest that rooting for an underdog could yield serious spiritual thrills, as the fan-idealistic Eagles were simply dismantled by the brutish and coldly-efficient Brady-led Patriots in what was sure to be the icing on the giant cake of the Patriots' god-like run to achieving the supreme title of Super Bowl Team of the New Millennium (and arguably of all-time!). The Eagles would be remembered as the 'mighty mouse' who tried to down the 'egotistical elephant' but monumentally failed as the 'disappointed darling.' Eagles fans brooded for years about Super Bowl 52, and it was really more disappointing than even the heart-breaking loss by the Buffalo Bills to the N.Y. Giants in Super Bowl 25 (1991)! It was a dark time...
Theron did not completely give up, however. She rallied with her eco-politics activist co-celebrity friend Leo DiCaprio to create a 'green-color' themed eco-marketing campaign involving populism-politics friendly African-American comic book superhero Green Lantern John Stewart (DC Comics). The mini-media campaign involved GL John Stewart cheering for the 'Underdog Eagles' for a special eco-consciousness rally in Philadelphia (the proverbial 'City of Brotherly Love'). All attendees would wear green sweaters, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation would sponsor the media-covered event on Valentine's Day. GL John Stewart coincidentally therefore received some much-desired media-spotlight (for an ethnic-minority superhero), and Donald Trump called the eco-awareness rally a terrific media showcase. Theron said in an interview that the attendees at the Philly-rally wore green to honor not only GL John Stewart but also the green-grass of Philly's parks and the green uniforms of the city's much-honored (and unfortunately pitied) Philadelphia Eagles. That night, Theron had a dream while sleeping that the ghost of Buddy Ryan (former Eagles coach!) visited her and told her, "Thanks for giving Philly a nice green prayer."
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