The Super Bowl: The crown jewel of the National Football League has come and gone. And with the conclusion of the Super Bowl, the “experts” stand and congratulate themselves for being right in choosing the champion or trying to rationalize why they were wrong. And with this year’s Super Bowl, many of those “experts” had to explain why they were wrong.
This year’s game was supposed to be the crowning of a champion (New England Patriots) after they completed the perfect season with a 19-0 record. And while it would have been a historic moment to see that accomplishment and a great story to write and talk about for years to come, that happy ending left out the underdog New York Giants and how they felt about “having no chance to win.” this game. And as I sat there watching the Giants celebrate their win, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the NY Giants and the OGs.
The Giants started the season terribly; they had star players refusing to come to training camp, there was some infighting within the team, they had an ex-teammate throwing hate at the club as a commentator, there was open talk about sacking the coach mid-season or who his could be. replacement, had some embarrassing losses during the season, with critics even talking about how dumb and clueless the team’s quarterback looked (which has absolutely NOTHING to do with winning championships). And despite everything, they beat what was being considered one of the best teams (if not the best) of all time.
How did this happen? Well, the Giants realized that all those things that happened to them during the season didn’t have to have a permanent effect on the outcome of the season. They realized that it really doesn’t matter how strong you start the race, but how strong you finish. They realized that they could still achieve what most people thought impossible if they worked harder than everyone else, didn’t give up, banded together and listened to their coaches, used the model adopted by other teams that had success against the Patriots, and played hard until the last second.
For those of you who haven’t figured it out yet, THIS IS THE OG FIGHT TOO! Every OG (in our own way) has to believe in ourselves when others tell us to hang up. OGs have to train harder and longer than the person next to us. OGs constantly flirt with the idea of quitting because things don’t go our way, but they NEVER give in to the temptation to quit. OGs need to believe our coaches who tell us we’re making progress when we have little to no evidence to back it up. And finally, OGs have to fight for everything we get (such as being considered serious, competent, tough fighters to be taken seriously on the mat) until the very last second.
I know that when I initially coined the term “OG”, it was intended for older, non-traditional fighters and will always apply to them. As “The Nation” continues to evolve, I’m forced to see that “being an OG” also embodies the struggle of being the underdog. And that fight has no age limit.
So, I ask you this question. With all those similarities between us and them, how can the Giants NOT be considered OG?
