Sports Talk with Dad

This entries' genesis comes from the conversation I had with my dad today. In reality sports is the foundation of my relationship with my dad. Sports have always been a part of my life. I remember as a kid going and watching my dad and grandpa play softball. When my brother and I started playing youth soccer our dad was often on the coaching staff. And during baseball seasons dad sometimes would find himself umpiring behind the plate.  When we weren't participating in athletics dad could be found watching whichever sport was on ESPN; basketball, baseball, football, hockey, auto racing, etc. Sports offered me a way to bond with my dad and is a big reason why I was a student athletic trainer and manager in high school and have continued on to study athletic training and currently work in that field.

Now to the purpose of this post. During my talk with my dad he asked me if I was watching the football games. I let him know that the Broncos beat the Patriots in the AFC and that the 49ers and the Seahawks were about to begin. Dad wanted the Seahawks to win because "they hadn't been to a Super Bowl." to which I replied "I am pretty sure that they played the Steelers in a Super Bowl a few years ago". Our conversation went back and forth a little bit on the topic, so during the game I decided to do some research on the Seahawks and am now sharing what I learned with all of you and more specifically with dad.

Courtesy wikipedia (Yes, I know the most reliable source of information on the internet),
1. The Seahawks began playing in the NFC in 1976 then transitioned to the AFC from 1977-2001.
(Point Dad)

2. In 2002 the Seahawks transitioned back to the NFC when the NFL expanded to 32 teams and developed the current four team/four division model for the AFC and NFC.

3. The Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl in 2005 where they played and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers (Point Me)

Final tally: 

Dad: 1

Me: 1

Well, the conference championship games have been completed and this years Super Bowl will pit Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.  At first glance this looks like a pretty good match-up. The Broncos seem to be an experienced cool, calm and collected group on the field while the Seahawk are youthful and play with a lot of emotion. The Broncos have Peyton Manning one of if not the most seasoned quarterback in the league while the Seahawks have Russell Wilson one of the young guns making a name for himself in just his sophomore season. The Broncos have had one of the best offenses in the league all year setting all sorts of records in the process, and the Seahawks have one of the best defenses in the league. 

This is going to be an interesting game; outside in the elements, in New Jersey, in February.