Commissioner Roger Goodell
National Football League
345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154
Dear Commissioner Goodell:
I would like to congratulate you and the National Football League on 59 minutes and 40 seconds of great football action yesterday. Super Bowl XLIX was one of the most exciting Super Bowl’s in recent history, pitting two of the best teams in the league against each other.
Even as the fourth quarter began, with the New England Patriots down by 10 points to the Seattle Seahawks, I knew that this game would come down to the wire. The end of the game was interfering with bedtime for my two oldest boys, but I thought to myself, “This is the Super Bowl…it’s such an exciting game…I think it will be ok to have them watch through to the end of the game.”
And we did. We got to see Tom Brady’s mastery of the 4th quarter comeback come to fruition again, with touchdown passes to Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman. Then, we got to see young, upstart quarterback Russell Wilson begin to do the same, when he found his team down 28-24.
I enjoy using professional sports as a tool to teach my kids on what they should do, and how they should play, in their recreational leagues. So, when Jermaine Kearse somehow found a way to catch that 33-yard pass from Wilson, I was telling the boys, “It’s always important to never take your eye off the ball…whether it’s football, baseball, basketball, golf…” My 4-year old chimed in, “…Or soccer!!!” to which, I agreed. I was prepping them for an exciting end of the game, and we were certainly not disappointed. When Malcolm Butler surprised everyone with his amazing interception, I was getting ready to tell my kids about how you can never give up in anything. Here’s a guy that goes by the nickname, “Scrap,” goes undrafted out of a Division II college, gets picked up by the New England Patriots and isn’t even a part of the Patriot’s original game plan for the Super Bowl. And all he ends up doing is making the biggest play of the game, earning his team the championship.
Again, 59 minutes and 40 seconds of great football.
What happened after that, the ugly brawl between both teams, I can’t even begin to explain to my kids. I was faced with questions such as:
“Why are the teams fighting?”
“So, Daddy…the Seahawks are going to lose…is that why they are fighting?”
“Is it ok to fight when you’re losing?”
I explained to them that none of this was ok. One player was (and more players probably should have been) kicked out of the game. Fighting does not solve any problems you might have on the field of competition, whether it’s losing a game or otherwise.
I realize that the National Football League has been quite visible this past year, for a lot of the wrong reasons. Fortunately, much of this was done outside of the keen observation of its youngest fans. The Super Bowl was watched by all ages, though. Commissioner, my hope is that swift action takes place by the league office so that embarrassing, unprofessional behavior isn’t tolerated, and that bad behavior doesn’t go unnoticed. This is the answer I want to provide to those lingering questions my kids have.
Sincerely,
Daniel M. Lazarz
Co-Founder – Life of Dad
P.S. Fortunately, my kids didn’t even see the “defecating on the football” touchdown celebration, performed by Seattle Seahawks’ Doug Baldwin. Who knows what kinds of questions would have come from them, had they seen that? Again, I trust that you will be able to best handle and address these matters, Mr. Commissioner. Dads are counting on you.