On January 15, 1967, the Kansas City Chiefs battled the Green Bay Packers in the very first edition of what would soon come to be called the Super Bowl. The Packers cheated (as they always seemed to--Ice Bowl anybody???) and won the game 35-10. It ushered in the modern era of football we now all know and love. Almost nothing has changed since...
One thing that remains very much the same is the rigorous training regimen the players go through--both pre-season, during the season, and even during the game. Many players, inspired by Len Dawson at halftime of the largest football game ever played in history to that point, will still smoke a Pall Mall and drink a Fresca for that little extra boost in the second half. 4 out of 5 doctors agreed in 1967 that Pall Mall was not only smooth-tasting, but also full of electrolytes to make you faster and stronger. They were the precursor to Gatorade. In fact, after the game, instead of the traditional sports drink splash of the winning head coach, the Packers dumped tobacco leaves all over Vince Lombardi. What a magical sight it was... unfortunately, no one from the game survives, all having died by the ripe old age of 47.
Next time you are mid-Pickleball and you wanna finish like a champion, take a long, cool drag of a Pall Mall and think of ol' Lenny the Cool, loser of Super Bowl One, but still a champion in my heart!
