Pyle of List

 Dictionary.com defines swagger as “to boast or brag noisily.”  But this is one of those cases where I think Urban Dictionary would be better suited to explain things.  Among the 40-odd definitions it gives for the word, one says “to obtain instant attention”; “to captivate others in a negative or positive way.”

And I think that really sums it up, especially the “captivate” part.  There are fundamentalists who think players should gently hand the ball to officials after each play, so matter how amazing.  Others will indulge a chest bump between teammates, but no more.  Some enjoy a degree of spectacle as long as it doesn’t draw too much attention.  And then there are the people who wish points were awarded for showboating.

But whether they hate it or love it, when a team has swagger, people can’t ignore it.  They talk about it.  They watch it.  They are captivated by it.  A team with swagger is a force to be recognized.

It’s hard to argue with the above banner when you see something like THIS.  Even taken completely out of context (or maybe more so because they are out of context), these images are impossible to ignore.  Some would look at these and write them off purely as poor sportsmanship and excessive celebration.  But swagger is not simply a response to good play; it is a cause.

I’d like to further examine how swagger is created, what it does for a team, and, most importantly, who currently has the most swagger.

How is it created?

Obviously a team needs to be good, but it’s not as simple as that.  For instance, as good as TCU and Boise State have been over the past few years, I don’t think anyone would say they have swagger.  That’s partly due to the profile of the schools, but simply being at a big-name, even traditional powerhouse, does not guarantee swagger.  Alabama is a great example.  Anyone who says this team has swagger is crazy.  But that is not meant in a disparaging way at all, because they are very, very good.  If anything, they have replaced swagger with class.  That’s certainly not a bad thing, and many would even say it’s commendable.  Being very talented and staying classy isn’t easy.  But class cannot help you win games.  Swagger can.  (More on that later.)

So what is there to swagger besides just being good?  It’s a mentality, a mentality that your team is better than anyone else.  Lots of people would call that cockiness.  They’d be right.  But 9 times out of 10, a team with swagger backs it up.  (Otherwise, they lose the swagger, simply by virtue of people no longer being captivated with them.)  And even when they do lose, they aren’t beaten.  THEY lose.  The players believe that it was their own fault, not anything their opponent did, that cost them the game.  In a way, this makes the team kind of an ass.  But oh, what a fun ass to watch.

Perhaps the final component, the one I haven’t seen much written about, is location.  My theory is only a limited number of teams are even capable of swagger.  Since it is all about being the center of attention, the team must live in a location that allows this luxury.

Let me explain.  Oklahoma has at times been very good.  But Norman is not a city of extravagance.  I’m sure people there have fun, and if the football players were hanging out in the local watering hole, they’d be offered a lot of free drinks.  But that’s just the thing.  The friendliness, the APPROACHABILITY, erases any kind of swagger.  Swagger is when you’re at an exclusive club looking at a bunch of high-rollers thinking “Damn, I wish I was in that entourage.”

Entourages do not exist in most US cities.  The only three that really fit the bill are New York, Los Angeles, and Miami.  These are also cities with tons of paparazzi.  That is not a coincidence.  The celebrity culture is also one full of swagger.  Again, some people condemn their lifestyle, but judging from the popularity of gossip mags and blogs, they are fascinating by it.  And this carries over to the football players.  The mentality is present all around them, which helps create the swagger and then maintain it.  In a way, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What can swagger do for a team?

As I said before, a team must be good to have swagger.  But swagger can make a good team great, and a great team nearly unstoppable.  Even a great team should not be able to convert on 3rd & 43.  Swagger allows you to get it and then act like you knew you’d get it all along.

Swagger allows a team to turn an opposing team’s stadium into their stomping ground.  The fans are riled up for a chance to knock the smug swaggering sons-of-guns on their butt.  Then when the inevitable happens, the fans respond like they knew they never had a chance.  (More often than not this plays out in the opposing team as well.  Once they get down, they rarely put up a fight because they resigned themselves to “fate.”)  Swagger is sort of like “Manifest Destiny.”

Finally, swagger can make a team reckless and carefree.  This is why a team with swagger needs a great coach who can keep things in line.  Swagger is like water.  When it’s properly directed, it’s as powerful as a firehouse.  But if it goes all over the place, it just makes things wet.

Who currently has the swagger?

 It’s a lot easier to say who HAD it.  Miami regained it in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.  But a lot of that went away when they lost to Ohio State in the championship game.  One loss doesn’t generally affect swagger, but it came on such a high stage.

Then a few years later USC gained the swagger, probably around the time of this play in the 2003 Rose Bowl.  They kept the swagger going for nearly two full seasons until they lost to Texas in the championship game.  They’ve still had it in non-conference games since then, but the PAC-10 is no longer afraid of them, as evidenced by this season.

Meanwhile, Miami got a bit of their swagger back, thanks to this guy:

 Miami QB Jacory Harris.  This guy is made of swagger.  His haircut alone is enough.  That’s a haircut that says, “Why yes, I will be sleeping with your girlfriend tonight, and if she refuses, well, I didn’t want her anyway.”

He’s also pretty funny, and more importantly, a good quarterback.  Their swagger was in full effect until they got embarrassed by Virginia Tech in the third game, but it seems to be on the rise.  Their 9-3 season is the best they’ve had since 2005, and they can top that with a win against Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl.

USC, on the other hand, had a rapid decline this season.  It was poised as a rebuilding year, but USC has been extremely successful in years like that the past few times.  But this time it wasn’t in the cards.  That’s not to say they can’t have a quick turnaround next season, but they have a higher ceiling.

Just winning the PAC-10 will not get USC its swagger back.  That will just be returning to status quo.  They need to win another national championship to regain it.  Miami can get it back simply by winning the ACC, and maybe even by just appearing in the ACC Championship game.  That amount of success combined with Harris and the other players will give them the “Swagger Trophy.”

Essentially, the true swagger battle is between USC and Miami (until the day that ucla gets into the mix).  But if you have other suggestions for teams that fit the bill talent and location-wise, I’d love to hear them.