NEW ORLEANS − Ah, the annual extravaganza known as Media Night, where a few thousand, ahem, reporters, some wearing clown costumes, bombard players from the Super Bowl participants with questions.

As a kid, I watched a lot of sports on TV. Afterwards, I’d go outside and be the hero in my own game. I hit a rubber ball over the granary for a walk-off home run. Or I threw and caught the winning ...