More Than a Superbowl: Why this Sunday’s matchup only begins with football

Published January 29, 2008

By Mac Smith

As nightfall descended upon New York and New England last Sunday, Giants and Patriots fans alike celebrated their teams’ trips to the Superbowl. As the stage is set for another showdown between Boston and New York sports, the only word that comes to mind is “fate.”

While we all prepare for the coming showdown and the arrays of cheeses, salamis, wings, and beers that come with it, we need to take a step back and think about the many factors that make this much more than just a football game.

For New York, this post season hasn’t exactly been a picnic, having to knock off three division winners on the road in order to get where they are. They are a team that started off 0-2, and have been the predicted underdogs for every single playoff game. They have a quarterback who many cite as the bane of their existence due to his inexperience and infuriating hesitation on the field, and a coach who fans liken to an overly enthusiastic drill sergeant, famous for his on field hissy fits.

Still, they managed to find life in their running game after Tiki Barber decided he liked morning television more than football. They have star receiver in the name of Plaxico Burress, and–maybe by the grace of God Himself, Eli Manning has not thrown a single interception all post season.

For New England, there really isn’t much to say. Early allegations of cheating lit a fire under this team that caused them to steam roll over every opponent this season. They seem to have it all: a pretty boy MVP quarterback who is a true commander on the field; a success story in the name of stroke survivor Tedy Bruschi; and a stone-faced, cut sleeved donning hardass of a head coach who will not accept failure. Not to mention, he’s is famous for eating the souls of the press. They are perfect…literally.

So what’s the big deal? It’s a pretty straightforward David and Goliath match up. The Giants are a scrappy team that got it together just enough to surprise the crap out of everyone, and the Patriots are an efficient killing machine whose tickets to Disneyland were booked months ago. The difference is the apparent role-reversal in this high stakes post-season match up. Every year, the Patriots look more and more like the Yankees of the ‘90s. They are a star-studded dynasty that not only command respect through their performance, but also expect a championship. The Giants, in turn, resemble the “ Curse of the Bambino” era Red Sox, with their agonizing track record of playoff losses in the last seven years. This is an analogy that everyone can get behind, because the New York-Boston sports rivalry is something nobody takes lightly.

Furthermore, New Yorkers, with the pain of another Red Sox title in recent memory, see this as an opportunity for redemption by ending the Patriots’ perfect season and taking away an almost guaranteed championship. New Englanders see this as a perfect opportunity to extend their newfound dominance over New York with yet another championship. For New England, the road to perfection and domination lies through New York. For New York, the road to defiance and redemption lies through New England, and neither side would have it any other way.

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