Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, whose team lost against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Picture: AP Source: AP
- I'll never forgot what I saw there
- "Nude, hulking 160 kilo men blubbering"
- Cities bid to hold the game, like the Olympics
MOST Australians watch the Super Bowl with only a passing interest in those hulking men in helmets and skin-tight lycra playing a game whose rules we barely understand.
I was one of them until I was lucky enough to cover the event for myself. And I didn't just cover the game and all the hype that surrounds it, but was one of a tiny handful of media who made it into the losers' dressing room straight after the game.
I'll never forget what I saw and what I heard in there. We're talking about nude, hulking 160 kilo men sitting motionless and deathly silent, give or take the odd bit of stifled blubbering.
It was quite a scene. No one wanted to talk and who could blame them?
The year was 2009, and it was no ordinary Super Bowl from an Australian perspective. It was the year former Geelong AFL captain Ben Graham became the first Australian to play in America's biggest sporting event.
Graham was the punter for the Arizona Cardinals, a bit part player at best, but a man whose powerful left boot could still go a long way towards deciding territorial domination – and therefore the outcome of the game.
Graham had switched to the Cardinals in a midyear transfer, and most fans had no idea who he was. There are up to 53 guys on an American football team roster, so you can understand that.
The media didn't think much of him either. When I asked a question about Graham's likely impact on the game at an all-in press conference, a thousand cynical faces turned my way as if to say "who's this idiot?"
Fair question. I was, and still am, anything but an expert on the game. But American sports broadcaster ESPN is trying to change that. Each year it flies lucky journalists from around the world to cover the event.
Like most Americans, the network wants people to love and embrace its winter sporting obsession. And we Aussies are trying. American football, or "gridiron" as it's often called here, has over 2,500 registered players in Australia.
It's not going to overtake Australian rules football or the rugby codes any time soon, but the sport is growing.
American football now also gains more media coverage here these days. The NFL screens on free-to-air as well as Fox Sports, so more Australians are becoming exposed to the game.
For all that, the deeper mysteries of American football remain a secret to most Australians. That's why I couldn't believe it when I suddenly found myself in the losers' dressing room moments after the Super Bowl.
Immediately after the game, I was out on the playing field in a blizzard of confetti as the victorious Pittsburgh Steelers clashed their chests together in triumph. Oof!
They're quite a team, those Steelers. No fuss, no flashiness, just six Super Bowl wins, which is the most ever. Amazing how a sporting team's spirit so often mirrors the character of its home town or city.
But Ben Graham's team was the story of interest to my Australian magazine audience, so I quickly left the field and headed for the Arizona Cardinals dressing rooms. Somehow I got in. And then the door closed. And then, well... nothing really.
No one tried to kick me out but no one would answer my questions either. The Cardinals had pulled off a huge comeback, coming from 20-7 down to lead 23-20. Alas, it wasn't enough. The Pittsburgh Steelers scored late to make the final score 27-23.
The nature of the loss made it all the more devastating for Ben Graham and his Cardinals. Their shock and disappointment at the last minute loss was compounded by the knowledge they'd be unlikely to be there again.
History has proved that hunch right. The Cardinals have played just one post-season (playoff) game since that Super Bowl.
With seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLIII, the pass by quarterback Kurt Warner (left) of the Arizona Cardinals is thwarted by LaMarr Woodley (right) of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
Players often say "it hasn't sunk in yet" after big wins. Losses are much, much quicker.
It took maybe half an hour, maybe 45 minutes for the change room to stir. Eventually, players started showering and dressing and answering a few questions here and there. Their faces lacked expression and the volume of their muted answers was stuck on barely audible. But at least they spoke.
Outside the ground, it was a different scene. The Pittsburgh fans were as ecstatic as you'd expect. The Arizona fans, while sombre, were still happy enough. For them Super Bowl week had been a party in itself, win or lose.
And that's what the Super Bowl is. Like our own footy grand finals or the Melbourne Cup, it is a week long festival but with much better celebrities. Springsteen at halftime, free Kanye West concerts during the week in the host city of Tampa, Florida. It's quite the show.
The Most Valuable Player during the match, Santonio Holmes of the Pittsburgh Steelers kisses the Vince Lombardi trophy after defeating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
American cities bid to host the Super Bowl, much like cities compete to host the Olympics. Right now, the Super Bowl venue is booked for the next three years. In 2015, it'll be held at the Cardinals' home ground in Phoenix, Arizona.
Don't bet on the Cardinals returning to taste glory on home turf. No team has ever won a Super Bowl when it's been held in their home city.
This year's Super Bowl is between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. It will be held in New Orleans. Coverage on Australian TV starts 10am on ESPN and One HD
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