Wolf Blitzer’s got nuthin’ on John Cihon of Nice Pick, Cowher, who observes “2007 has been a difficult year for our country, with the wars continuing in Iran and Afghanistan, as well as war and terrorism raging in other nations around the world.” Thank G-d, then, that humanity has such a shining example in Motown to inspire them one and all.
As far as on the field goes, sports can show us beautiful examples of how individuals from different backgrounds can come together and work as a team to achieve. There™s teams where the guys don™t necessarily like one another, but they™re working for a common goal, and when that works, what better lesson could there be for all of us? This year we™ve seen the Detroit Lions unite behind Jon Kitna, a veteran quarterback who™s experienced a Christian conversion over the last few years that has not only had an effect on him, but on his teammates as well, who achieved far more than anyone predicted they would at the start of the season. Some of Kitna™s teammates have said they don™t agree with his religious views, but his attitude and leadership has allowed them to get behind him, and helped him to unify a locker room that had been a contentious place before.
Wow. Much as I hate to shit on a happy ending, the Lions didn’t, in fact, “achieve far more than anyone predicted.” Kitna himself famously promised Detroit would win 10 games or more. And though 7-9 is a certainly progress over 2006’s 3-13 mark, Kitna’s team going 1-7 down the stretch takes just a bit of the shine off the improvement.
Regardless of Kitna’s shortcomings on the field, however, I cannot quibble with Cihon’s assertion the oft-concussed signal caller has gone above and beyond to unite the locker room.