I watched the Super Bowl last night, accompanied by several friends and our trusted dog, Thor (I don’t know who he was rooting for).

Between chili cheso dip and chicken wings grilled with the Eustis Fire Department marinade recipe, we marvelled at the impressive credentials of the New England Patriots (18-0 until last night) and rooted for a respectable showing by the underdog New York Giants (a wild card team who no one expected to be in the Super Bowl this year).

This year, the Super Bowl was played in Arizona

 But then something happened.  The people no one thought even belonged in the game beat the expected champs!

It’s one of the reasons I love football:  the games are decided on the field, not by the fans in the stands or by the announcers in the broadcast booth.

Sure, everyone can say you’re supposed to win, but until you actually get out there and do it, the winner is still undecided.

There are a lot of perceived “Champions” in the funeral industry.  Whether they’re the leading manufacturer of caskets, the 1000-firm chain of funeral homes or the world’s largest pre-need insurer, they all got there by getting it done “on the field.”

And they’ve got to continue getting it done “on the field” everyday, or someone else comes along to challenge the crown.  The Patriots won 18 straight games this year, some by a teeny-tiny little bit and some by a whole lot.  But last night, they couldn’t get it done.

Starting a new funeral home, removal service or funeral product maker is a daunting task, made all the more formidable when there are established giants in the field. 

This year’s Super Bowl includes this awesome lesson:  No one is invincible.  No one is ever completely “out of it.”  Even industry leaders have to keep producing to stay in the lead.

I’ve also noticed that all the commentators who offered there opinion that New England would trounce the Giants are all still employed.

It’s helpful to remember that opinions are often worthless because they’re so cheap to dispense.