Superbowl Contender - Sports Figures with Character

As much as I love football (soccer) played the world around I still love American Football too. There are only 4 teams left in the championship, named the Superbowl, that will take place in the U.S. in two weeks.

I am a fan of the Indianapolis Colts as their quarterback and star player went to the same University I did. But it's their owner, Jim Irsay (pictured left), whose comments I noticed this week. Read what he said about winning and losing:

"To me, there's a lesson there. It's who can lose and share in grace? Who can lose and congratulate the other owner and feel joy for him? I mean, that's harder than winning. And it's not about nice guys finishing last or that kind of thing. It's about what do you tell your children when you don't win? How do you conduct yourself? How do you treat people? How do you congratulate other people and the other man?

"That's where life is for me. I want to win the Super Bowl as much as anyone, but I'm always prepared if things don't go well. Because anyone can demonstrate what they're about when things go well. It's when they don't go well that you have a chance to show what sort of individual you are."

(And later...)

I just have the belief that if you do the right things, prepare and work hard, good things will happen. To me, it's not something you stress about. Yes, people have their legacies defined at a higher level when they win championships, but I've never seen a hearse hauling a U-Haul, you know what I mean? You ain't taking the trophy with you wherever you're going.

I don't know much about his spiritual beliefs but this sounds like a man who is thinking about eternity. He's 'never seen a hearse hauling a U-Haul". Let me explain for those not familiar with the idiomatic phrase. A hearse is the large car that typically takes a persons dead body to the cemetery for burial. And a U-Haul is a type of trailer you can rent to pull things in behind a car. In other words, when you die, it will not matter what you have accumulated on earth. Character will matter. I believe that. Do you? (Go Colts :)

UPDATE: The Colts won! Greatest 'comeback' in division championship history!