The Controversy-Bowl

I freely admit that's not a clever moniker for this year's Super Bowl, but I'll be damned if it isn't accurate. The two week period for the most watched sporting event in America can be nauseating, even if the matchup is the one you wanted (as it was for me). Still though, in the aftermath of a game featuring alleged blown calls, a momentum-shifting power outage, and an uber-controversial player's final performance, the "Harbowl" hype was the last thing on anyone's mind. There were plenty of things to enjoy about this year's iteration, such as an-almost-comeback by the 49ers, a record-setting kickoff return, and a few genuinely funny commercials. But as memorable as those examples and the overall triumph for the city of Baltimore (which I have lived in for a few years), there is an overall disturbing feeling I find impossible to shake.

Sports bring out some fascinating emotions in all of us. For every team that we love to death, there is of course a binary opposite, a blood rival, borne out of many possible reasons. Sometimes, it's jealousy or media hype (I admit this is why, as a Bears fan, I dislike the Packers so much), and sometimes its a fun local rivalry. Other times, it's management moving the team (Sonics and Browns fans feel me here). And we cite those reasons as why we hate so much. It's cool, right? Intellectually, we know it's "just sports" and there are no laws or human lives at stake. But that doesn't stop us from repeatedly reacting "in the moment", moment after moment, then brush it aside when it's all over. But what about when it isn't just about a rivalry? What about when there's something deeper and more sinister beneath the surface of all the cheering and booing?

And that brings me to the Baltimore Ravens. Judging by the reactions at the Super Bowl party I attended as well as a few other Facebook friends, you'd think Ray Lewis was Hitler and Stalin rolled into one. The murder case where Lewis reached a plea deal for obstruction of justice instead of going to court has been well documented. That was 13 years ago, but the hate is alive and well largely because he is on the biggest sporting stage in the country. Yes, it really is hate. The cries of "Murderer! Stabby! He should be in jail!" aren't lighthearted, jokey comments like the kind you see on profootballmock.com. They're vicious, mean-spirited, and full of bile; reminiscent of partisan jabs thrown about during Presidential Election season. Anything can be made fun of, but the tone of these comments I've witnessed is almost frightening. And these are otherwise honorable, caring people who say these things.

It's okay to believe that someone who has been acquitted of a crime is actually guilty. Opinions are not fact, but everyone is entitled to have one. If there's one thing we love as much as football in America, it's believing that we, the Court of Public Opinion, are so infallible and more "right" than our justice system. It was the case (no pun intended) with O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony. But those trials were televised in all their dubious glory. Ray Lewis never went to trial. The matter was settled out of court and he plead guilty to obstruction of justice. So its possible that these opinions, like the trial that never was, are only half-formed. Of course, very little of this hate would be bubbling over today had the Ravens lost their first playoff game. There's just something about saturation-level media coverage of a two-week Super Buildup that makes the blood of any sports fan boil. We want to prove we're not lemmings and go the other way on an over-talked subject. That's Newton's Third Law as applied to the social media realm.

I like the Ravens; they're my second favorite team next to the Bears, so it comes as no surprise that I've been a fan of Ray Lewis for a long time. Regardless of what happened that night in Atlanta, he has worked tirelessly for the next decade-plus to rehab his image, be a leader on and off the field, and act as an ambassador for the NFL. His teammates and coaches love him. And I believe his religious feelings and his tears are genuine. But none of that goodwill matters to Ravens-bashers. He got away with murder. He's a fraud. He cannot be redeemed. The media lauds him, but every single one of those analysts, coaches, general managers, and current/former players is dead wrong. Or so they say.

I admit I'm not exonerated from "sports hate." I've "hated" the New York Yankees for a long time and used to crusade relentlessly about how they have an unfair advantage in baseball due to their massive wealth that most teams do not come close to possessing. I stopped feeling that way in 2009 after their title when I realized that a) other teams spend pretty damn close to what they do, and b) money alone can't buy championships if the players you buy don't fit. I congratulated them and felt their World Series victory was legitimate and fair. You won't see or hear that from certain corners regarding the Ravens, who claim that they're just a bunch of thugs and curse their names forevermore.

I've had similar reservations about Brett Favre. As a Chicago Bears fan, of course I dislike him and root for him to fail-- on the football field. And I believed he showed unparalleled diva tendencies when he waffled back and forth with the retirement/un-retirement phase. So yes, I rooted against him largely because of his behavior and wretched when those who thought his comeback in 2009 was "a great story." But he's been out of the game for a few years and handled it with dignity. He's shown plenty of amicability in his appearances with ESPN and NFL Network. And he is unquestionably a First Ballot Hall of Famer when the day arrives. But you won't see this from Ray Lewis detractors. Judging by what I've seen and read, they'll likely spew bile at him during every appearance as an ESPN analyst and vomit during his Hall of Fame induction speech. Such is their right, but that doesn't mean I'm not at least a little uneasy about their mentality.

Bottom line: I've crushed players and teams plenty of times, but never accused someone of a crime when he has not committed one. And yes, I've made jokes about Kobe Bryant's and Ben Roethlisberger's "rape" episodes in which both athletes were acquitted, but I consider that different from screaming "Fuck you! You're a rapist!" Tone matters. And nothing controversial has come out of them since then.

Football season is over. Our national obsession will dip considerably for the next 6 months, occasionally peeking its head out for free agency, the draft, and mini-camps. But with that obsession and passion comes hatred. This past season, I haven't been using the term "hatred" lightly. But then again, maybe I'm just more forgiving than is good for me.