Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

When The Going Gets Tough, the Colts Go ...
Thursday, February 1, 2007

So much for security. But who needs it anyway? On my last day in Florida, I snuck into the Colts press conference. I guess I have the face of a sports reporter. (And they hardly missed another cold croissant.) I watched Tony Dungy answer questions. What struck me was his sense of perspective. As everyone knows by now, he is a man of faith, his 18-year-old son committed suicide last year, he is aware of his stature, with his friend Lovie Smith, of being the first black coaches in the Super Bowl. But the feeling he gave off in the room -- and what he actually said -- was the winning wasn't the only thing. In a sport dominated by the ghost of Vince Lombardi ("Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."), the message was startling.

And great.

Here's a quote I ran into: "Really, in a lot of ways, this team is a throwback to another time," Indianapolis Star sports columnist Bob Kravitz said. "There are a lot of likable guys - Tony, Peyton, Marvin - and they seem to do things the right way and say all the right things. Those are qualities America's heartland can relate to, so this team is a perfect fit in Indiana. ..."

And what better example, as I was going back to my room for the last time, two of the Colt players got into the elevator with me. "What did you do yesterday during your day off?" one asked the other. "I went to the outlet mall." "Really?" "There were like a gazillion stores. I was there three hours." "Wow. I wish I went with you."

The Outlet Mall! Who needs curfews? When the going gets tough, the Colts go ... shopping.

This may explain the most surprising thing of all about seeing the team close-up for 24 hours. There were no girls in the hotel. I expected the place to be swarming with, well, cleavage and the drool of hangers-on. Not one. This won't make them America's team, but it may make them Super Bowl champs.

Labels: sports

Posted by B Feiler at 8:00 AM
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