Here’s something that embarrasses me: I was elated by Stefon Diggs’ game winning catch when the clock ran out in the divisional playoff game on January 14, 2018. What that catch concealed was the time-honored habit of the Vikings: giving up a big lead and collapsing in the end. In that game with the Saints, the Vikings needed a miracle to win a game they had in hand. The sweetness of the win derived in part from the unexpected deviation from their history.
So what's embarrassing for me? First of all, I find myself elated by something as trivial as the outcome of a football game. Where is the substance? How is the world better because the Vikings won? How is misery reduced or joy increased? There are as many people made unhappy by the win as there were people made happier. I am reminded of the answer to the question presented to Johnny Unitas: “After a touchdown, you walk off the field with the same emotional expression as when you were intercepted. What gives?” Unitas said, “I get more emotional for kids and animals than I do for football.” That response – not mine – I respect.
But here is what really embarrasses me: When the Vikings lost to the Saints in the championship game in 2009, I salved myself by saying to myself, “It’s just a stupid football game.” In 2018, when the Vikings won, I didn’t say to myself, “It’s just a stupid football game.” It’s that loss of integrity that embarrasses me. And, what’s more, I will behave in the same way many times in the future, no doubt. I salvage some self-respect by being aware and embarrassed by my response.