The last few weeks of playoffs have given us  some of  the best football we’ve ever seen. Comeback wins, thrilling score changes, heartbreaking losses. There’s been no shortage of blood (Brady’s lip), sweat (despite some record-breaking cold) and tears (from SF to KC to Green Bay to Buffalo and beyond). 

Competition breeds that level of emotion. But so does the journey. These players are working year-round on their skills, their strength and conditioning and their mental approach to playing at that level. Teams are working as units in OTAs and training camps. Their journey is long and it’s hard, requiring sacrifice, teamwork, perseverance.

While it’s tough to match the level of the NFL, we see a similar approach in Pop Warner.

In December, our 2021 season culminated in Orlando, where we hosted more than 7,000 student athletes from 64 football teams and more than 500 cheer and dance squads, all looking to do what those teams in the NFL have worked hard at doing – coming together as a single unit to win the ultimate prize.

Check out the details of who participated and who won here at our Pop Warner Super Bowl and Cheer and Dance National Championship website. 

Pop Warner is more than just playing sports we love. It’s about developing relationships, building character and learning life lessons. It starts in August when teams begin to practice, and goes through league, regional and national competitions.

But it’s seen in more than the winning of a title. It’s also in the heartbreak of a loss. More teams lost during our championship week than won, and understanding how to deal with loss and how to come back better because of it are among the most important lessons any young person can learn. 

When a Super Bowl champion walks off the field in L.A. in two weeks, let's remember the work that it took to get there, and appreciate that the seeds of that hard work started for many of those players on a Pop Warner field 20 years ago.  And for the majority of young people who will never play a down in the NFL those lessons and that journey will remain equally valuable.  

Thanks and enjoy the (other) Super Bowl.

Jon Butler