After all the controversy over who was No. 1, the Tigers from Louisiana State University managed to stop a charging Oklahoma Sooners offense with just two minutes remaining to give the ball back to LSU on downs.
LSU went on to win the game by a touchdown, 21-14.
Moments later, the Tiger players accepted the glass football for winning the Nokia Sugar Bowl with big smiles, fists pumping in the air, index fingers extended and holding back tears.
It is at times like these that we are all reminded that there is much more to sports than wins, losses and the actual game.
For many of the seniors in all of the bowl games, it may be the last time they set foot onto a football field, the last time a 350-pound man slaps their butt in celebration of a great play, the last time they may enjoy success with such a tight group of friends. However, winning and losing are not what football or sports are.
Sports is about finding out what is inside of oneself, as Olympic track star Steve Prefontaine once said, “I run to test the limits of the human heart” not to set world records, which he did on various occasions.
Sports is watching Lance Armstrong rebound from testicular cancer to less than a decade later sip champagne while riding into Paris on the final day of the 2003 Tour de France to win for the fifth time.
Sports is watching 5-foot-7-inch Darren Sproles of Kansas State run for over 200 yards in the Big 12 championship game to defeat a team that was thought at the time to be unbeatable.
Sports is watching grown men and women cry because there is nothing sweeter than learning that all one’s hard work has paid off.
Sports is watching Michael Jordan retire three times and return, not because he needed more money, but because the simple act of competing presents something found almost nowhere else in life.
Sports is the star quarterback for Oklahoma, Jason White, petition the NCAA to receive a sixth year of eligibility so he could compete with his teammates one final year.
Every time we see that genuine smile of an athlete at the end of a game or when we witness players crying in celebration, we are reminded of the greater nature of sports.
This love of the game may be taken for granted while competing, but is evident in the actions and faces of every senior during his or her last competition or game.
Sometimes it is not just about winning. When it was announced that LSU and USC would share the title of national champions, players from both teams seemed very pleased and satisfied.
One of the bigger stories that people should take from the controversy is that the games are comprised of players.
Players such as Matt Mauck, LSU quarterback who has to make the tough decision of returning to play another year of college, enter the NFL draft or enroll in dental school.
While fans discuss who should hold the rightful title of national champion and petition NCAA President Myles Brand to hold another game, players are enjoying the shared title.
After all, it is still a national championship. While the majority of college football fans would enjoy watching LSU face off against USC in what Rick Reilly, sports columnist for Sports Illustrated, refers to as the “IncrediBowl,” that is not looking like a likely occurrence.
Fans should be amazed with the accomplishments of student-athletes from both teams and applaud their courage to gracefully accept a tie.
After all the complaints from fans and negative columns against the current system for choosing a national champion in college football we should expect a change in the near future.
Possibly even some sort of playoff system. After four ties since 1990, there is obviously the need for a system to choose a single champion.
Maybe the NCAA doesn’t want a true national champion because there is more to sports than the actual game.
