Something has been missing from the whole debate about Mr Leavy admitting to making game-changing mistakes in the Super Bowl. As has become customary in America, there is no middle, only extremes. One extreme tells you that the refs cost the Seahawks the game, ignoring the myriad of dropped balls from Jeremy Stevens and the crippling injury the Marquand Manuel. The other extreme says that the Steelers won the game fair and square, and that blaming the refs is nothing more than sour grapes.
The real story here is not what those calls did to effect the outcome of the game. The real story is that now Seahawks fans have been given back the opportunity to be gracious losers. For five years, Steelers fans, had both the victory and the higher ground. They could tell us we were whining poor sports. Now, Steelers fans can’t argue with the fact that there were critical game-changing calls. Seahawks fans need not even bring it up. In fact, we should only ever talk about the Seahawks mistakes and injuries.
I tried this new tactic with a Steelers fan at work, and the immediate response was, “yeah, and those calls didn’t help any.” You see, Leavy did us the universal favor of tarnishing the Steelers victory.
Don’t waste time arguing about whether those calls decided the game. Just enjoy your newfound perch looking down at those shamed Steelers fans.