10 Powerful Life Lessons from the Super Bowl

Do you watch the Super Bowl? Although I’m not a huge sports fan, I usually tune in. Unfortunately, my favorite team (The Eagles) didn’t make it this year, but I still enjoy a good Super Bowl gathering – for the food and commercials, if nothing else. Over the years, watching the Super Bowl has helped me reflect on goals, effort, and success. In no particular order, here are 10 powerful life lessons from the Super Bowl.

1. Humans thrive on a balance of predictability and unknown.

One thing I like about a Super Bowl is that I have a general idea of how things will go. There will be people gathered around a television or two, there will be a lot of good stuff to eat, we will watch the game and make comments about the commercials, etc. Knowing what to expect makes the experience feel familiar and comfortable.

At the same time, there are some unknowns that keep the experience interesting. Who will win the game? What will be the best snack? Will there be any memorable plays or moments?

A mix of the expected and the unanticipated creates a more engaging experience.

2. We all have different gifts to share.

The Super Bowl offers a powerful example of how complementary skills make success possible. Of course, first there are the amazing athletes, whose skills and training always impress. But countless other talents are on display as well.

Consider:

• Referees who spend years training to make accurate calls.
• Camera crews who capture the excitement.
• Coaches, who train, direct, and guide the players.
• Commentators, who help us understand what is happening.
• Advertisers, who create eye catching ads that fund the event.
• Facility staff, who prepare and operate the venue.
• Locker room staff, who wash and prepare uniforms.
• Families, who support the players with prayers, money, time, and encouragement.
• Technical staff, who make sure the broadcast can be seen and heard.
• Technology developers, who have created the devices and streaming services that allow us to watch the game.
• Uniform manufacturers, who make the uniforms for the big day.

The list of contributors to this event is long, as is the list of skills and abilities they bring to the table. All are necessary for a successful Super Bowl, even though many operate behind the scenes.

A successful venture acknowledges and relies on the gifts and talents of others. While some are more visible and perhaps more financially rewarding, each of them is important.

3. Mutually agreed-upon rules matter.

The sporting arena is space in which it is easy to see the importance of clearly articulated, communicated, and followed rules. Much of the game is spent considering if the rules have been properly followed, and penalties are applied when they have not. Rather than serving as a constraint, rules actually free players to play the game.

Rules in a game are basically boundaries for how to operate. Boundaries keep us safe, help us know when and how to work, and define success.

Establishing the “rules of play” before beginning an initiative helps everyone involved understand what is expected and what successful participation will look like.

4. Everybody needs a break from intensity.

The Super Bowl can be stressful, especially if you are deeply invested in the outcome. Watching a kicker line up for a game-winning kick always stresses me out, and I feel bad for his significant other if he doesn’t make it. No matter what she says, he’s going to be upset.

One of the great things about football is its periodic nature. There is a play, and then generally a brief break. We focus in (perhaps with great anxiety), and then we sit back and regroup. Commercial breaks and the halftime show provide longer opportunities to reset emotionally. Humor and music are effective tools for relieving tension.

It is wise to break up stressful endeavors by mindfully introducing stress-relieving intervals. Taking intentional breaks can be healthy–and necessary.

5. Even with great planning and preparation, things can go wrong.

Some Super Bowls go more smoothly than others. I’ve watched games played in the snow and pouring rain. I can remember games with a key player gets injured on the first play. One year there was a power outage, and the stadium went dark (Super Bowl XLVII?) No matter how much you plan, something can still go wrong.

It is important to try and predict possible issues and pre-game how to solve them, but it is impossible to be prepared for every possible eventuality. Wise people prepare well and do what they can to control the controllables. When surprises emerge, they make the best decision they can in the moment and then pivot and adapt.

Planning is important, but flexibility is just as important.

6. Expect the game to be hard.

Perhaps it is because I’m getting older, but every time I see a player slam into the ground, I wince. It’s pretty amazing how they literally smash into hard ground and just pop up and keep playing. It’s not like they are falling on a cushy mat! Football is a tough game. Injuries are expected; grit and perseverance are necessary.

Life, like football, can be brutal at times. No one gets through it without having to go through some painful and challenging experiences. It’s okay to acknowledge that we are hurting or struggling. If we summon the courage to share our pain, we are likely to find others who’ve been through similar experiences and can empathize. We can also find resources with expertise, tools, and skills to step up when we need a helping hand.

Don’t expect the journey to be easy. Recognize hard times for what they are: obstacles that need to be overcome, not failures to hide in shame.  

7. Celebrating matters–but moderation does too.

The adrenaline on a football field is palpable. This energy often bubbles up in the reactions players and fans express upon completion of a successful play:

• Jumping up and throwing our hands in the air
• Shouting a cheer
• Singing a team song
• Doing a dance in the end zone
• Kneeling in a prayer of thanks

Celebrations are important. They give us a chance to be joyful about reaching a goal or milestone. Celebrations can also connect us to people around us, other people who are happy about the “win.”

At the same time, I’ve seen Super Bowls where the celebration has backfired. Celebrate too soon and we may quickly find ourselves with egg on our face when we fall short. Good fortune is wonderful but not guaranteed.

Celebrations should match the moment and help us keep moving forward rather than resting on our laurels.

8. It’s important to stay focused on the next opportunity.

Playing in a game like the Super Bowl requires full attention. Unless the game is a blowout, both teams need to stay mentally focused on the next play at all times. At any moment, there might be an interception, a fumble, or a time out. You have to keep your head in the game until it is over.

Focus is hard, but essential. Often it is when we are zoned out, relaxed, not paying attention, half-listening, or distracted that things go wrong. Whatever our “game” might be, when we are playing, we need to be mindfully present.

Staying present and focused maximizes our chances of performing at our best.

9. To win, we have to step onto the field.

This might sound obvious, but most people will never play in a Super Bowl. For that matter, most people won’t play in any professional sport. However, each of us has a chance to “play” in events that matter to us.

Unfortunately, it’s often tempting to stay in the stands rather than get down on the field. After all, in the stands you can’t fail, no one is watching you, and there is little to no pressure. However, the glory comes to those who risk participating.

Years ago, my Dad shared a quote that I remember to this day:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

If you want the glory, want the win, want the feeling of accomplishment, want to make progress, or want to achieve your goal, you have to play. You have to get in the arena and give it a try.

10. A loss is easier to accept when we know we gave our best effort.

Watching a lopsided Super Bowl is never much fun. Even when your team is winning, you feel bad for the other team who is floundering. The best games are when both teams are playing well and the competition is tight. When a team loses under these circumstances, they can at least say, “We gave it all we had. The other team just had a little bit more today.”

We won’t always win, but there is satisfaction in knowing we put forth an admirable effort. We may learn something that helps us win next time. Or we may simply know we didn’t fall short because of lack of effort, which is comforting.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well–regardless of the outcome.

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Are you a Super Bowl watcher? What have you learned from this special event?