Every athlete has their pre-game ritual. Some listen to a specific playlist. Others visualize every play. But imagine making a promise to yourself. A solemn vow about the biggest stage in American sports. You refuse to even glimpse it until you’ve earned your place on the field. That takes a special kind of resolve.
This isn’t about avoiding a party. It’s about preserving a dream. For one superstar, that dream was too sacred to experience as a spectator.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley revealed he never attended a Super Bowl before playing in one. He skipped the event twice, even as a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.