I was reading Peter King's MMQB today, and came across this:
"The Colts' loss to San Diego ended at 4:21 p.m. EST. By 6:07, quotes from seven 1972 Dolphins players, plus coach Don Shula, were in my e-mail, from the Miami PR staff. Efficient, to be sure. But does that team have to be so publicly joyful EVERY time the last unbeaten team loses a game, keeping the legacy of the only unbeaten NFL team ever intact?"
So I sent this letter in, I doubt it'll be in the MMQB Tuesday addition, but you never know.
I read your column every week, its one of my favorites, however, I take exception to the vilification of the '72 Dolphins. The argument states that they celebrate other people's misfortunes, with a champagne toast when the last undefeated team falls. How is this really different then a fan celebrating a win of one team over another. In a win, there was one team who was unfortunate. Is the fan celebrating the losing team’s failure? Is that a lack of class? What if the fan, actually had something to lose, like a wager or even bragging rights? Those Dolphins achieved something no other has, if someone else does it they'll congratulate them, but if no one else accomplishes it, then they should cherish it. In this age of Terrell Owens and his ilk, when you yourself look to teams like the Patriots as the embodiment of team accomplishment, why is it so wrong for a team to celebrate the ultimate team accomplishment? They aren’t out there celebrating individual achievements. Thank you.
