Fearing the Beard
Super Bowl week is over. Why do I feel like I just finished a marathon? I guess you could call what I ate on Sunday a marathon of sorts.
Anyway, it was a week of great publicity for local players. Jarrett Bush, the USU alumnus, had an interception that led to a Green Bay touchdown. But most of the publicity last week went to ex-BYU defensive lineman Brett Keisel, whose enormous beard drew all kinds of comparisons.
ESPN.com’s Rick Reilly noted: “It looks like it should be on a cough drop box or running against Chester A. Arthur. It’s the greatest looking beard since Kimbo Slice. Santa Claus’ beard aspires to this. It’s inspired T-shirts and websites, if not musicals. It stole the hair hype away from Troy Polamalu and Matthews, locks, stock and barrel. NFL Network ranked it the greatest facial hair in NFL history. ”
Other Keisel quotes on his beard:
“The beard is why we’re here. It’s unleashed Super Bowl powers on our whole team, and hopefully it can win us one more.”
Similarly, he said to the media, “Steeler Nation is strong. They’ve accepted the beard. They believe in the beard, and we believe in them.”
Keisel also tweeted: “My beard’s getting too caught up in this media attention, basking in the glory. It just need to focus on the game.”
Which goes to show that when you speak of your beard in third person, like it’s a celebrity unto itself, you’ve got something going.
I’m only so-so on the beard phenomenon. I like beards in a Mean Joe Greene sort of way. Not so much in a Grizzly Adams way.
For more musings on Super Bowl quotes, go to Rick Reilly’s ESPN column from last Friday.