With all of the focus at this time of the year being on March Madness, the NFL lockout, and the opening of the baseball season I figured I’d switch gears a little bit and talk about the football team I have (almost) always loved-Super Bowl XLV Champions, the Green Bay Packers.
Now, being from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I obviously come from your typical Green Bay packer adoring family; heck, it’s in our blood. In Wisconsin, the Packers have god-like status (if you weren’t aware of this already). Over my lifetime I had developed a strong connection to my beloved Packers, and with that, for all of the good and bad he brought with him, a complete loyalty to Brett Favre. Up until his “retirement” he had been the main man of the Pack since the time I was born! Naturally, once the entire Favre vs. Packers controversy ensued, I was conflicted.
Ultimately, I took Favre’s side; that’s difficult to admit as a Packer fan. But, it just seemed like they gave this man, who brought the Packers from the dregs, to glory once again, the complete short end of the stick. It’s not pertinent here to relive the details of the messy Favre saga, but to sum it up, I became estranged from the Packers for a while. Who was this Aaron Rodgers dude? Who does he think he is coming in and thinking he can replace a legend so quickly? It felt like he was the villain trying to replace and imitate the fallen hero he had just slain. YEAH, that’s really how intense it was!
However, as time went by, I couldn’t help but notice how poised and classy Rodgers was. I started thinking more rationally: ‘I mean, it obviously isn’t the guys fault that he’s in this position, maybe I’ll give him a chance.’ My respect increased for Rodgers. I remember him continually saying (not direct quotes by any means) to reporters, ‘I can only do what is in my control’ and ‘my job is to play football.’ The only thing he emphasized was what was in his control, and the way he worked hard and did the best he possibly could to lead the Green Bay Packers to winning and improving as a team.
After his first season leading the Pack, the team ended up with a very sub-par 6-10 record, yet Rodgers still remained classy as ever. With this attitude, he was able to lead the Packers to an 11-5 record the next season. Despite the talk within the media and amongst Packer Nation that Rodgers would never bring the Packers to where they should be, or that he could not handle the big situations and moments, still Rodgers kept on. When it got tough, he got tougher and worked harder.
Fast-forward to today and the Packers, under the leadership of Rodgers, have just won the Super Bowl. Now, if Rodgers wouldn’t have handled the adversity and all that idiotic drama he and the Pack went through the perfect way in which he did, we would not be Super Bowl Champions. I could go on, and on and on, about the details of Rodgers amazing mindset and attitude, but to conclude, I’ll say it like this: Aaron Rodgers truly possesses the mindset of a champion.
Katharine Mack; Social Foundations of Coaching; Notre Dame Class of 2013
Katharine Mack
Social Foundations of Coaching
Notre Dame Class of 2013
