The quarterback position is probably the only one in all of professional sports that produces identification above a team.
In the seventies, when NFL football exploded in Mexico after the Unitas Potros, there were those who became cowboys because of Roger Staubach, a All American Boyand who became a steelmaker by following Terry Bradshaw, the man who lived under the Iron Curtain.
Two different ways of interpreting the game. From that rivalry between Dallas and Pittsburgh, Staubach and Bradshaw, the phenomenon of the franchise player emerged, footballers who live and die with the jersey on.
A quarterback’s leadership on the field and his personality off of it build dynasties. The fans in the NFL, unlike what happens in other sports, are not inherited, nor learned, they are found, they are independent. San Francisco found greatness during the Montana years, Miami despite so many disappointments had a powerful fan magnet in Dan Marino.
The same thing happened with John Elway’s Broncos, Aikman’s Cowboys, Steve Young’s 49ers or Rodgers’ Packers. Quarterbacks throughout history recruit fans on their own, their character influences the spirit of new generations who are looking for a team to feel part of an era.
The last great mass phenomenon, Tom Brady, made the New England Patriots the most popular team of our times. There are still those who debate whether Peyton Manning, a lone ranger with all his merits, can make it on this list.
But regardless of rings and numbers, the NFL is a very wise League. Like no sports organization in history, it perfectly manages the talent of its athletes. Their latest hero is turning Kansas City into the franchise for generations to come: Patrick Mahomes is, himself, the ultimate boss.
2024-02-07 06:30:31
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