Colin Kaepernick led the San Francisco 49ers to a victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Likewise, the Baltimore Ravens avenged last year's loss to the New England Patriots and punched their own ticket to the Super Bowl.
What happened after the games was - as Stewie Griffin would say - a "casserole of nonsense." The most disturbing incident happened first. After the San Francisco-Atlanta game, three 49ers fans began arguing with a Falcons fan over the teams and the outcome of the game in the Georgia Dome parking lot.
The shouting match ended with one of the 49ers fans cutting the throat of the Falcons fan. Atlanta police say the victim is in stable condition at a local hospital. Charges have yet to be filed. New England-Baltimore didn't end in fan violence, but it did feature some less-than-sportsmanlike behavior.
It's customary for the coach of the losing team to give an interview to the host network outside the team's locker room Networks pay billions for the rights to these games. The least a coach could do is talk to them. Well, it's safe to say Patriots head coach Bill Belichick behaved like a sore loser when he refused to do the post-game interview. He sent out safety Devin McCourty.
Now, no disrespect to McCourty, but who wants to interview a defensive back after a game? Unless, he made the game-winning interception, this was a clear brush-off. Anna Burns-Welker, wife of Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, threw on some kindling with her criticism of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis on Facebook.
Burns-Welker took verbal shots at Lewis as a husband, father and even referenced the legal trouble he was in more than a decade ago. She has since apologized, but the damage was done. Make no mistake, though. The Ravens didn't miss their chance to gloat after the big win.
In a post-game interview, linebacker Terrell Suggs yelled, "Tell them to have fun at the Pro Bowl! Arrogant (expletive)! These are the most arrogant (expletive) in the world starting with Belichick on down. That's funny. Ever since Spygate, they haven't been able to win."
This type of behavior by the teams, fans and their spouses doesn't help the teams nor do they enhance anyone's enjoyment of the game. These contests are set up for someone to win and someone to lose. There's no reason to hurt someone, act like a three-year-old or take personal shots.
In the end, how we treat one another is far more important than the outcome of any game. Don't believe me? Try this quick exercise. Write down the last five Super Bowl winners. Now write down the five experiences that changed your life the most. You see, life outruns sports every time. Enjoy the games. Appreciate one another.
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