Sam Ajibola

Eleven months ago, I suffered the most excruciating pain that I have ever felt. I still remember the beat of my heart, climbing up in velocity, as the ocular areas behind my eyes opened up their flood gates and warm tears started to stream down my visage. I still remember Joe Buck of Fox Sports uttering those fateful words that still hunt me to this day, confirming what my eyes had just saw. “The Patriots win the Superbowl!”

You see, I am an Atlanta Falcons football fan. Please, try to suppress your laughter. But, ever since I watched them succumb the Carolina Panthers to unmitigated embarrassment, beating them 31-10, on January 2, 2011, I have been hooked. And, that’s the ultimate aspect of a drug. Once you are addicted, it’s almost impossible to get off of it.

The Atlanta Falcons are a franchise that have always been castigated due to their history- or lack thereof. The Falcons are 1 of only 13 teams left in the NFL to have never hoisted the coveted Lombardi Trophy. They have made two trips to the Superbowl, in 1999 and then most recently in 2017. The 1999 Superbowl saw the run into the Denver Broncos led by Hall of Famers John Elway and Terrell Davis. To no one’s surprise, the game ended in a lopsided score of 34-19 as the Broncos ran riot en route to their second Superbowl Title. The more recent 2017 Superbowl game, in which I suffered that terrible tragedy, pit the Falcons against the much-hated New England Patriots. The Falcons jumped out to a 28-3 lead, the largest deficit that a team has ever created in NFL history. As you can guess, the Falcons proceeded to blow that historic lead, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and promptly delivering a 5 Superbowl Title to New England.

Even though the Falcons have subjected me to many disappoints and have brought me to tears due to their inability to win the ultimate prize, I still find myself rooting hard for them. The Falcons are a drug and I need my fix. Even though they have let me down countless times and will probably lead to my demise, I can’t get enough. And if the Falcons ever find a way to finally win the Superbowl in my lifetime, the past failures will make that victory so much sweeter. That’s why you’ll always know where to find me on Sunday afternoons during the Fall. I’ll be on my couch, eyes firmly glued to the television, hoping that my Falcons can rise up and finally take flight.