What we can learn from the Ravens Superbowl Victory

I have to admit.  I still can't believe that the Baltimore Ravens won the Superbowl.  I am an avid fan and watched every minute of the post season.  There were cheers, screams, I even had to mute the TV a few times to get through some nail biting plays, but the game always ended in a win.

Even Hollywood screen writers could not have scripted this ending to a season full of challenges and adversity.  I am not an analyst, but I did notice a few things I could learn from this amazing season.

There is no "I" in Team.

I know this is a tired old saying, but in this case it rings true.  Coach John Harbaugh was quoted as saying his most important priority in coaching the Ravens was Team, Team and Team.  It is true, this season the Ravens were the ultimate team. Players came out of the woodwork to fill in for injured team mates.  Each week the roster was sometimes dramatically different but everyone worked together for the good of the team.  There were no big egos on the field, just a group of players that wanted to win.

The Team is not just the players on the field.

It was obvious that the Baltimore Ravens football team was not only the players on the field, the coaches, owners and staff.  The team was the entire city of Baltimore, State of Maryland and as far reaching as any fan in any state that rooted for the Ravens.  The players and coaches even hinted at this as they spoke of how much the support of fans carried them all the way to New Orleans.  Fans traveled to Denver, Foxboro and New Orleans to be a part of it.   Even during the Super Bowl, you could hear the stands erupt with the Ravens chant/song.  A team is often more than the players on its roster.

What's Love Got to do with it?

What impressed me the most about the Baltimore Ravens were the post game interviews given by players and coaches.  I confess I have watched more ESPN Sports Center than I'd like to admit but the interviews were astonishing.   Each interview was underlined with the words "we love each other".


They love each other? What does that mean?  Well, for the Ravens it means they respect each other.  They put others and the team above themselves.  The choices they made each month, week and day of the season were for the benefit of the team and not individuals.  How hard do you think it was for Coach Harbaugh to fire Cam Cameron late in the season?  How hard was it for the team to go 1 and 4 in the last 5 games of the regular season?  How hard was it for Torrey Smith to go to work the same day he lost his brother?

It was as hard as most challenges, but the Ravens were able to stay together as a team and put their personal egos and issues aside to achieve a common goal.

What can we learn from the Ravens?  Love is an action - it is a choice.  Love is choosing to do what is best for someone even if it means you have to sit on the bench, lose your job, go to work in the midst of a family crisis.  Love is not about what is good for me, but it is about what is good for someone else.  Thanks Ravens - for not only bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Baltimore, but for showing us that love had a lot to do with it!