Winning isn’t everything. After Super Bowl XLV, Green Bay’s hero QB has been on a journey to find out what is.
AFTER THE GAME, AARON RODGERS GOT ON THE BUS. It was unusually cold in Arlington during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLV; a winter storm had barreled into Texas, blanketing Cowboys Stadium with so much snow that slabs of ice cascaded from the roof. When the game against the Steelers ended, the team was showered with confetti, then the players trudged down to the bus, where they sat for a while in the bowels of the stadium before heading back to their hotel. Someone brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy on board, and the players passed it around like a collection plate, each taking a moment to palm the sterling silver.
As his teammates chattered away, the quarterback sat and listened and thought about the plays he had made that night: three touchdowns, zero interceptions, 304 yards. The bus rolled along, and he ran it all back in his mind, then pressed rewind and visualized his entire career, retracing the steps he had taken from Chico, California, to Arlington, from beleaguered backup to Super Bowl MVP. As he reflected on the sacrifices and the slights, he wondered whether it was all worth it, and then he felt something unexpected— not regret or fulfillment but a different sensation, like a space had opened inside of him.He thought about life and football and every thing he had invested in his sport, and a jarring realization sprang into his mind.
I hope I don’t just do this.
This story is from the September 18, 2017 edition of ESPN The Magazine.
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This story is from the September 18, 2017 edition of ESPN The Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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