Former Super Bowl MVP Offers Tips On Thriving In High-Pressure Game

As Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers prepare for Super Bowl XLV, the two starting quarterbacks are likely experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. Anticipation, anxiety, and excitement are just a few of the feelings they must deal with as the big game quickly approaches.

Roethlisberger has been in this situation before, guiding the Steelers to two Super Bowl championships. Rodgers, one would think, would have a more difficult time trying to put aside the added scrutiny, distractions, and immense pressures during the days and hours leading up to America’s most revered sports spectacle.

One quarterback who could advise Rodgers on how to successfully manage his emotions is Phil Simms, who led the New York Giants to a victory over John Elway and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI. Simms still holds the Super Bowl completion percentage record after connecting on 22 of 25 passes en route to being named Super Bowl XXI MVP.

“Early in my career I had read many accounts of quarterbacks saying that the Super Bowl game was so big that they could not settle down until the second quarter of the game,” Simms said. “They had a difficult time remembering and focusing on the plays that they ran during the first quarter. And as I read those accounts I recall thinking, ‘If I ever get a chance to play in the Super Bowl, I am not going to waste 25% of that game just trying to settle down.’

“In the two weeks leading up to that game in January 1987, I thought to myself many times, ‘I am not worried about the outcome. I am going to be aggressive and confident in my thinking.’ I remember thinking, ‘I am not afraid to fail.’ Having that mindset just kept me loose and confident leading up to and through the entire game. As I look back over my career, I have often thought, ‘Why didn’t I approach more games like that, or really, why didn’t I approach all my games like that?’”

Simms’ revelation about his mental focus and preparation appears in the foreword he wrote for the forthcoming Living in the Sweet Spot: Preparing for Performance in Sport and Life, published by Fitness Information Technology (FiT). Written by former Olympic rower and America’s Cup sailor Dr. Amy Baltzell, Living in the Sweet Spot provides a fresh look at the integration of sport psychology and positive psychology and gives readers expert guidance as they prepare for life’s big performances.

“As I look back, I realize just how powerful your mind can be when it comes to athletic performance,” said Simms, who is now a lead NFL analyst for CBS Sports. “But I didn’t have a book like Living in the Sweet Spot to help me develop consistency in using my mind to help produce great performances.”

Another former NFL quarterback has found the information presented in Living in the Sweet Spot to be useful in his new position as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, whose home stadium will serve as the site of Super Bowl XLV.

“I’ve always been interested in how to perform better—for myself and now for our players,” said Jason Garrett in his testimonial for the book. “Performance at the highest level is always a challenge. This book provides some excellent practical ideas of how to achieve and sustain high levels of performance from the psychological perspective.”

Simms and Garrett are joined by several other prominent athletes, coaches, musicians, and psychologists who either offer testimonials for Living in the Sweet Spot, or whose experiences, struggles, and subsequent victories over mental obstacles are detailed by Baltzell. A licensed psychologist and professor at Boston University, Baltzell serves as a consultant to many elite athletes and musicians and has been featured in interviews both locally in Boston and nationwide on programs such as CBS Sunday Morning.

“The focus of this book is about how to create and use your habit of positive emotion and focus to prepare for such high-pressure performance moments so you can thrive under pressure,” Baltzell said.

Click here for more information on Living in the Sweet Spot: Preparing for Performance in Sport and Life or to order an advance copy of the book.

NFL, Media Buzzing About Boorish Behavior Toward Female Reporter

TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz during a Super Bowl media day.

One of the hottest topics after Week 1 of the NFL season has been something that didn’t happen on the gridiron, but rather in the locker room—players’ behavior toward female reporters.

Members of the New York Jets (both players and coaches) acted immaturely toward TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz during her visit to a practice to do a story on quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sainz was subjected to catcalls from players, and during one practice drill an assistant coach seemingly went out of his way to have players catch passes near where Sainz was standing.

Opinions on the incident have varied, but the majority of opinions have rightly been that the Jets were wrong for making Sainz feel uncomfortable by their behavior. A small minority, however, have said that Sainz brings the attention to herself by the way the former Miss Universe contestant dresses and behaves (her attire and actions at past Super Bowl media days had previously created headlines).

The incident also once again stirred up the decades-old debate about whether female journalists should be allowed in NFL locker rooms for postgame interviews.

Washington Post sports writer Dan Steinberg, who is featured prominently in Media Relations in Sport, 3^rd Edition, used his D.C. Sports Blog as a forum for shooting down opinions of fans who believe female reporters don’t belong in NFL locker rooms. Steinberg’s Washington Post colleague Cindy Boren also weighed in on her blog regarding reporters being in NFL locker rooms.

Expert Talks About NFL’s Decision To Back Down From “Who Dat”

The National Football League earlier this week backed off from its threat to sue vendors who sold T-shirts containing the phrase “Who Dat,” citing trademark infringement.

New Orleans Saints fans have used the “Who Dat” phrase as a rally cry for years. It’s a shortened version of “Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” The Saints’ fans are even referred to as Who Dat Nation. And with the once-mocked organization making its first-ever appearance in the Super Bowl, various T-shirt designs with the “Who Dat” phrase have been in high demand.

The NFL initially took issue with the phrase being included on T-shirts along with the use of black and gold colors (which the Saints use) and/or the fleur-de-lis. But days before the New Orleans Saints play the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday in Miami, the NFL (referred to by some as the “No Fun League”) backed off, or clarified, its stance.

League spokesman Brian McCarthy was quoted in a USA Today story as saying the league “emphasized that people can use ‘Who Dat’ all they want if it doesn’t include NFL and Saints trademarks. We explained that we would contact merchants only if a ‘Who Dat’ item also contained NFL or Saints trademarks or if it is falsely claimed that an unauthorized item is affiliated with the Saints or NFL.”

Fitness Information Technology contacted Dr. John Grady to get his thoughts on the NFL’s position. Grady is an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina who specializes in intellectual property protection by professional and collegiate sport properties. Grady has published several articles on the subject in Sport Marketing Quarterly.

Q: What was your initial reaction when you heard that the NFL was sending letters to vendors telling them to stop selling T-shirts that included the “Who Dat” phrase?

Grady: “The league has to be seen as taking a proactive stance in fulfilling its obligation to vigorously protect the league’s intellectual property from which it derives substantial revenues. However, sending out cease and desist letters seems like an over-zealous attempt to control fan content that may really backfire on the league in the court of public opinion.”

Q: You’ve written about this in SMQ, but where can a league like the NFL or an organization like the Saints draw the line regarding trademark infringement, specifically with regard to popular phrases, symbols, or the use of team colors?

Grady: “With trademarked logos, the league and its respective teams have very clear rights which they have every right to enforce.  When a slogan like “Who Dat” is used on merchandise, the legal rights become more tenuous, assuming the slogan is not owned by the team or any other person.

“However, the phrase is rarely used in isolation on plain merchandise, such as black and white lettering on a white T-shirt. The merchandise typically uses the team’s color scheme in some fashion, which may be subject to trademark protection depending on the legal precedent in that jurisdiction. 

“What becomes much more of a slam dunk, legally speaking, for the league is when a manufacturer uses the team’s trademarked logos in addition to well-recognized marks such as fleur-de-lis in the team’s colors. This scenario is much more likely to raise eyebrows in the league office as potentially infringing the team’s marks in multiple ways.”

Q: The NFL received a lot of bad press due to its initial stance in the “Who Dat” situation. In past years, the NFL has taken similar PR hits by trying to control the use of “the Big Game” as it related to the Super Bowl or prohibiting churches from hosting Super Bowl watch parties. Is the league’s perceived image of being overly aggressive in terms of controlling trademarks deserving, or is the NFL often justified in taking such stances?

Grady: “The NFL, much like the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver, finds themselves in sort of a Catch 22.  One on hand, they must please their official sponsors who pay handsomely for the right to use the league or property’s intellectual property as part of their sponsorship packages. If they did not take such a proactive stance, sponsors would perhaps be unwilling to renew their sponsorship arrangements, citing the failure of the league to deliver category exclusivity that they were contractually obligated to provide.

“At the same time, they must make the event accessible to every day fans in addition to the corporate hospitality folks who often fill most of the seats at mega sports events. Therefore, it seems a little ridiculous for the NFL and others to be overly aggressive in trying to stop fans from trying to access their event, such as having a viewing party at a church. 

“For example, the phrase “the Big Game” is on every other commercial I’ve seen the past week, from sports bars to electronics stores selling HD TVs.  Clearly, if the NFL had hoped to control the use of that phrase, they missed their chance.  It has become almost a generic shorthand for the Super Bowl, and therefore unlikely to now qualify for trademark protection.”

Q: Finally, who will you be cheering for in the Super Bowl, the Saints or Colts?

Grady: “Having lived near the Gulf Coast for almost eight years and with family still living in Louisiana, I’ll go Saints.”