Jerome Bettis

There doesn’t seem to be much hype about the Super Bowl this year. The main story appears to be the swan song of Jerome Bettis. If any of you are not football savy, he is the running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers who will retire after the game. He has been waiting forever to win a Super Bowl (lost in one and didn’t reach a bunch because good Steelers’ teams didn’t make it out of the playoffs). Bettis is from Detroit and so there is the “homecoming” angle as he is returning there for the game.

What’s cool about Bettis is the leadership he gives to the team and the respect he has from the players. On the trip from Pittsburgh to Detroit, the whole team wore Bettis’ jersey from when he played at Notre Dame. It is just refreshing to see an athlete admired by his teammates because of the quality of his character rather than his skills.

If you are part of the Lutheran tribe of Christian, Bettis attended Lutheran elementary and middle school. Maybe that is why he is so grounded. I like Mike Holmgren and so I am torn on who to root for. Probably neutral until I see who I start yelling for during the game. I will also make my prediction tomorrow.