Steelers Were Way Too Likable To Despise After Crushing Super Bowl XL Loss, According To Matt Hasselbeck

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks met each other for Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan. In a defense-dominated game, the Steelers were able to emerge victorious after a couple of long plays turned into touchdowns. There are two sides to every story; while the Steelers were celebrating their victory, the Seahawks sat in shame as the confetti rained down on everyone. Disdain can brew from losses like this, and they wanted to despise every single person that ever wore black and gold. One player tried, but he just couldn't do it. 

Matt Hasselbeck knew that he would have to see some of these same players the next week, as the Pro Bowl came after the Super Bowl at that time. He had a little bit of time to build up all the hate he could before seeing their faces again. They took what should've been his: the Lombardi Trophy. According to Super Bowl Gold: 50 Years of the Big Game, all those emotions just went away when he made it to Hawaii for the events and practices

"It really hurt to lose that game though, and I really wanted to hate the Steelers afterward: players, coaches, fans, everyone. But the events that followed were almost divine. We flew to the Pro Bowl. I wanted to hate Troy Polamalu, but we saw him at the beach, playing with his kids, and he could not be a nicer guy. Now I'm friends with him. At the beach, my kids are playing with this other kid and they're the family of Alan Faneca, a Steelers lineman. My wife ended up becoming friends with the wife of Travis Kirschke, a Pittsburgh end, and now he's a good friend of mine. These people I really wanted to dislike ended up becoming my friends. I know there's a life lesson in there for me."

The NFC, led by Hasselbeck and six other Seahawks, would defeat the AFC in the Pro Bowl as a small consolation prize, but that game pales in comparison to what Hasselbeck experienced in the week prior to the game. He went into the week hoping to find something to make him hate everyone, but he came out with the opposite. He became good friends with the same people that prevented him from wearing a Super Bowl ring. 

Steelers Have Lived Hasselbeck's Life Lesson

Hasselbeck also mentioned that the whole experience was a life lesson. Even though it can be cliche, he's right. His shining moment was ruined by the Steelers coming in and shutting down their offensive attack. The Steelers were known as a fearsome unit full of ballhawks and guys that would hit you as hard as they could while smiling, but off the field, they were completely different people. 

The Steelers have their own rivalries to deal with. It's no secret that the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens hate each other with a passion, but that anger is only shown on the field. Many of the players aren't exactly friends with each other, but there is so much respect between the fierce rivals. The pure hate for teams or players in general is only in the players that have nothing but hate in their heart. 

You can call it cliche, lame, boring, whatever. At the end of the day, Hasselbeck took a demoralizing situation and came out of it happier than he could imagine. The sun is the brightest after the darkest night, and his sun shone so bright after it was all said and done. It may have not been a trophy, but everything he learned during the week of the Pro Bowl was a nice consolation prize. It wasn't a total failure, and Hasselbeck can still look back and say he accomplished many things, including making it to the Super Bowl.