This morning, someone asked me if I liked the Steelers on my way into work. My response? “That’s a football team, right?”

Clearly (and I’ve mentioned this on the blog before), I’m not a big sports fan. In fact, I was just looking up the Super Bowl and had to look at this page for about five minutes before I even figured out what TEAMS are playing. Ack.

So now I know that it’s the Arizona Cardinals vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and that we’re at number XLIII (43, for non-math people). I also know the names of a few players; guys like Matt Lineart, Ike Taylor and Kurt Warner.

Why these guys? Well, because they’ve got some personal history with the American Red Cross.

Just last year, Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback and Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet Member, held a press conference stressing the importance of knowing how to perform CPR and use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Leinart’s teammate, Kurt Warner, is also helping spread the mission of the Red Cross. Warner and his wife, Brenda, both Iowa natives, responded to the flooding in Cedar Rapids last year. They helped the Red Cross hand out meals, bottled water, smiles and hugs.

And Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor got involved with the Red Cross by promoting preparedness for disasters. Taylor grew up in New Orleans, so when Hurricane Katrina came barreling through in 2005, it really hit home. The disaster made Taylor appreciate the work of the Red Cross and opened his eyes to the importance of preparedness.

We’re not picking sides with all these nice guys; good luck to both teams when they play on Sunday!