Was Richard Sherman so wrong?

My first reaction to Richard Sherman's expletive-filled, live-televised rant? I doubled over laughing. Unlike most of America, instead of gaping in outrage, taking offense, or freaking out, I was rolling on the ground in uncontrollable laughter. It was funny! Even though I, and I suspect most teenagers, were laughing, I knew that American society might not perceive it as well.
Basically, the game ended after a TD pass intended for Michael Crabtree was batted by Sherman into the hands of waiting linebacker Malcolm Smith. Sherman proceeded to make the choke sign at Crabtree (for which he was penalized, though it didn't matter of course), and in his post-game interview with Erin Andrews, categorized himself as the best corner in the league, trashed Crabtree, and used a decent amount of expletives in the process. After, Twitter erupted-everyone who was anyone seemed to have an opinion. When Crabtree himself tweeted, criticizing Sherman, Sherman responded with "A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of a sheep". The majority of people shamed him for having no discipline and/or sportsmanship, while a couple praised his passion. Whatever the stance, one thing was certain: everyone knew about Richard Sherman.
Had Sherman not made these comments, what would have been thought of his game-clinching play? No doubt it would have been praised, but perhaps only football experts would understand Sherman's impact, while the majority of people would focus on the man who made the interception, or perhaps Kaepernick's throw. By drawing so much attention to himself, Sherman's play was recognized for what it was. Sherman did not just talk the talk, he walked the walk. Had Sherman not made the play, and still made the comments, I would have a problem. Fortunately, that's not the case. Sherman's getting plenty of attention for his fantastic play, that likely would have been absent in the event of his not commenting.
Richard Sherman is undoubtedly one of the better cornerbacks in the league, as most know. By declaring himself the best, obviously, he has opened himself to criticism. But would a dialogue on his being the best even exist had he not called himself out? Discussion of his prominence would be nowhere near as wide-open as it is now: sure his play would warrant some consideration, but likely, there would not have been discussion as to his being the best CB in the league. Similar to when Eli Manning and Joe Flacco called themselves elite, the conversation had a platform with which to be discussed on. Had any of these men, Sherman included, not made the comments they did, there likely would not be a conversation. Interestingly enough, the times in which these quarterbacks called themselves elite was the offseason before each man won the Super Bowl. Coincidence? Maybe, but perhaps the existence of a discussion on each man's eliteness propelled them to win it all.
Establishing the above, and accepting the fact that Sherman backed up his words with stellar play, can we excuse his alleged poor sportsmanship and expletive use, on live television? Maybe not, but the passion Sherman exhibited cannot be denied. Put yourself in Sherman's shoes-you've just made the game-winning play against a receiver who's considered to be one of the best, and now your team is going to the Super Bowl, the most coveted spot in perhaps all of sports, but most definitely in football, your line of work. I know I would be so charged up, I'd probably curse Crabtree out myself, maybe even on live TV. Sherman was so hyped up, I'm surprised he didn't call himself the best linebacker, hell, the best quarterback, in the league as well. The palpable passion Sherman exuded may have been a bit too extravagant, considering the circumstances, but can we really deny him the chance to celebrate? Critics of Sherman argue that maybe he was passionate, but on account of the impact his words have, due to the nature of where he works and its large amounts of viewers, he should know better than to express his passion in such an 'inappropriate' way, where he knew a large audience would receive it. These people have a point, but when one is so pumped up and passionate, is it reasonable to expect him to contain himself?
Maybe the blame falls on American society itself. We are so afraid of our words or actions being taken the wrong way, being judged, that we have evolved into a hyper-politically correct society. In a country where people have to constantly watch what they say, it's hard. We all slip up. Why should a professional athlete be any different? We expect those with impact to set a good example, and that good example means conforming to a society that stems from intense and necessary neutrality. Maybe we expect too much, especially in the face of passion. What Sherman said was just an extension of the immense fervor and enthusiasm he felt. Isn't that why we love sports? Watching people lay it all on the line for the good of their team, and mirroring their passion with our own? Watching football is about gritting your teeth, tensing up, and watching behind clenched fingers. Loving football is about the overflowing excitement and joy of seeing the people you back come out on top. Sherman? He was just loving football, the reason we pay attention to people like Sherman in the first place: because we love it.
At the end of the day, was Sherman so wrong? If he wants to enjoy his game-saving play, so be it. Who are we to let our politically correct society keep him from it? We are criticizing a man who graduated from Stanford with a degree in communication, is currently working on his master's, writes a column for Sports Illustrated, and in football circles is considered to be one of the most intelligent guys around. He is not stupid, or naive. If Sherman could go back and choose to change his actions, would he? He is currently the most-talked about athlete (if not person, thanks to Justin Bieber) in the nation, has opened a dialogue on his being the best cornerback in the league, and is now playing in the Super Bowl. I know I wouldn't. So maybe, just maybe, he's not so bad after all.

Wild Card Weekend Picks + Who's the Team of Destiny?

As spreads become set, people start placing bets, and people talk about the fact that the Super Bowl will be in New York as if we haven't heard from the 2+ years of coverage, one prevailing message shines through: We're all screwed. The NFL playoffs have been such a crapshoot recently that no matter how much you know, we're all in the same boat. Since 2006, only two teams that had first-round byes won the Lombardi, there's been a Round 2 upset where the spread favored the loser by at least 8.5 seven times out of the last eight years, and Mark Sanchez won 4 playoff games. Yes, you read that right. FOUR PLAYOFF GAMES! It's not often disputed that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees are the current best QBs. Yet come January, those men are a combined 19-16, while Mark "Butt Fumble" Sanchez, Joe "I Get Paid by the Incompletion" Flacco, and Eli "Interception Record" Manning are a combined 21-9.
What I'm trying to say here is that the playoffs are a complete crapshoot. What I've found is that each year there's a 'Team of Destiny', a team that people have doubts about. The 2012 Ravens, 2011 Giants, 2010 Packers, 2009 Cardinals, 2008 Jets, 2007 Giants: they were undervalued and went far. Here's a case for why each one of the teams playing this weekend is the coveted 'Destiny Squad'.

Packers:
The Packers have already got some green and yellow magic going with that 4th and 8 last week. This is a team that has won games with Scott Tolzien at QB. Who's Scott Tolzien, you say? My point exactly Clearly they've already got some luck, and they can't even sell out the game, meaning people are betting against them (or nobody wants to sit around in below-zero weather). Already having luck + non-believers? This team is definitely a contender.

Bengals:
Everyone and their uncle has been talking about how you can't trust Andy Dalton, so the undervalued aspect is already in place. They haven't won a playoff game since 1990-if they do win they might as well go all the way to the Super Bowl.

Chargers:
They've got absolutely no momentum after barely beating out the Chiefs' backups (2012 Ravens, anyone?), and are lucky to even be in the playoffs anyway. Nobody believes in these guys, always a plus when you want to be the Team of Destiny. Also, there's the Redskins. The Redskins have beat the Super Bowl winner the past 3 years, and the Bolts are the only team they've beat in the playoffs this year. There's definitely some hope here.

49ers:
Everyone's been talking about Kaepernick's inconsistency, so they've already got doubters. They were kept from winning the division by a bad referee call involving Ahmad Brooks and Drew Brees, so they've got the revenge factor going for them. Also, they're incredibly talented.

Chiefs:
They've gone 3-5 the last 8 games, have lost to every playoff contender they've played, and have perennial playoff  losers Alex Smith and Andy Reid. Recipe for disaster? Sure looks like it, but this kind of non-moentum and bad stats are usually present in the Team of Destiny.

Eagles:
No one disbelieves in the Eagles, per say, but very few people believe they're going far. I like to call this half-belief, and it was present in the 2010 Packers. Follow these guys.

Saints:
All anyone can talk about is Drew Brees' shabby record in away games, let alone his record in cold weather. Disbelief? Present! Destiny? Potential!

Colts:
Everyone's quick to mention that while the Colts offense has rejuvenated recently, it's been against the likes of the Texans and Jaguars. Like the Eagles, people sort of half-believe in them, which gives them destiny potential.

MY PREDICTIONS:

Packers: 20        49ers: 16
The Packers are made for cold-weather, so this will be tough for a team coming from San Francisco. Rejuvenated by a 95-yard drive with 1:30 remaining, the Packers D holds on for the win against the men in red and gold.

Chiefs: 39      Colts: 31
I just don't have enough faith in an up-and-down Colts team to knock off a Chiefs team that while questionable, had one of the best records in the league. With the Colts down and driving, Trent Richardson will fumble in the red zone with under a minute left, and Tamba Hali will return it for a score.

Saints: 27   Eagles: 22
Drew Brees will shock everyone with a great game, and Nick Foles and Chip Kelly's inexperience will derail them. Rookie coaches rarely make it far. The Saints defense will get a big stop on 3rd down with around 6 minutes left, and the Saints will take all of it off the clock for the win.

Chargers: 27   Bengals: 13
The Bengals can't overcome their playoff losing habits with a terrible game by Dalton, and the suspect Chargers D forces too many 3-and-outs.

Sound off in the comments with your thoughts! Happy football watching!