Today marks the 40th anniversary of the most important Super Bowl in history. When Joe Namath and the New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts, they did more than just win the championship. They may have saved the Super Bowl.

Back then, the Jets played in the American Football League, which was considered not in the same class as the long-established National Football League. The first two Super Bowls had been so lopsided that people wondered if it were worth it to continue. Furthermore, the Colts were favored by 18 points.

Then the Jets went out and won!

What does that football game have to do with your life?

Everything. One of the reasons they Jets won that game was because their preparation was outstanding. In particular, they watched a lot of film. Maybe that doesn’t sound very special; all football teams watch film. But like anything else, watching film can be done in a variety of ways. You can go through the motions, work hard at it, or anything in between. The Jets worked hard at it.

The more they watched, the more they realized that the Colts were beatable. While the rest of the world was wondering exactly how lopsided the game would be, the Jets were actually growing in confidence.

Namath made lots of news in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, with his prediction of victory and his poolside interviews. But no one saw the preparation that he and his teammates put in.

You, too, can beat enormous odds if you take the time and care to make your preparation special.

Tony LaRussa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, seems to have a dream job. Not only does he get to spend every day at the ballpark, but he gets to travel the country, seeing some of the greatest cities in the world.

But you won’t find LaRussa sightseeing much. He spends lots of time in his hotel room, deep in preparation. He wants to make sure he’s thought of everything. He doesn’t want a single possible edge to be overlooked. LaRussa knows that he can’t win every game, but when it comes to preparation, he wants to be ahead every time.

If you want to come out ahead more often, prepare the way Namath and LaRussa do.

You can email Coach Mike Tully at coachtully@totalgameplan.com.