Matt Ryan's Excitement Over All the Colts' 'Banners' is Sad Beyond Belief
Matt Ryan is one of those rare famous, successful people who has a great life, where it's impossible to resent them. In fact, it's impossible not to like them. In spite of his good looks, God-given talent, perfect family, MVP award, and the richest payout for a single year in NFL history, he's a class act all the way. You can root against him on the field. But in life? To hate on him is to hate on humility and decency.
And yet for all Ryan has going for him, with this single Tweet he's managed to do something I didn't think he could ever accomplish. Make me feel bad for him.
Seriously, when his team blew a 28-3 lead and cost him a ring and a Super Bowl MVP that would surely have come with it, I had no sympathy for the man. That was war. There had to be a winner and a loser. Tom Brady simply took what Ryan wanted. Win some, lose some.
But this? This is just a self-inflicted wound. Pathetic. Acknowledging slightly-above-averageness. Instead of focusing on the two Super Bowl championships the Colts won or even the three completely legitimate NFL titles they earned the 1950s and '60s, they water down the Kool Aid with these Celebrations of Mediocrity, then ask their newest franchise quarterback in a long line of them:
... to pretend he's in awe of all these non-accomplishments.
I mean, look at these. Sweet mother of Johnny Unitas, there are division banners from the 4-team division era in here. And do I see a couple of Wild Cards mixed in?
There used to be a running joke in the Boston Garden about how the Bruins would hang banners for "Adam Division Winner," just to compete with all the NBA title banners the Celtics filled the rafters with. It was a sad, obvious attempt and no one bought into it. But at least when they signed or traded for a player, they didn't make him kneel before the silly things like he was in awe of them. Ryan deserves better than this.
The Germans have a word for a moment like this: Fremdschamen. It means to be embarrassed for someone who lacks the capacity to be embarrassed for themselves. Matty Ice, I offer you my sincerest Fremdschamen. Try to be better. This is how winners act:
