Repeating is difficult to do

Since the Denver Broncos won back-to-back championships in 1998 and ‘99 only one team has repeated: the Patriots in 2004 and 2005.

Attempting – and failing – to repeat is a theme that has become more common across all sports. In three of the four major pro sports, repeating a championship has become increasingly difficult. While the NBA has seen two repeat champions (the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat) since 2009, there hasn’t been one in Major League Baseball since the New York Yankees in 1999-2000 and the NHL since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.

While there are obvious differences among the sports, there are common themes with which every team in every sport must contend.

Of course, luck is always a factor. What if Malcolm Butler had not intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass in the end zone in the Super Bowl in February? The talk this offseason likely would have been of the Seattle Seahawks’ back-to-back wins – and whether head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady could still lead a team.

But there are other factors, too:

• The length of the professional season, no matter what the sport, plus the added rigors of the playoffs, can wear players down.

• Some players spend more time enjoying the spoils of their championships – appearing on late-night talk shows, doing advertisements, going to glitzy parties – than preparing for the next season.

• Defending champions become bull’s-eyes as opponents target those games.

• Parity among the major sports, especially in the NFL, has made it difficult for teams to separate themselves from the pack.

• NFL teams have to deal with roster turnover, players leaving in free agency and salary caps.

“You just got to put football first, whatever you do,” tight end Rob Gronkowski said after he reported to training camp. “You got to make sure you work out, throw in the offseason, before you do anything else.

“You got to put your football mentality first, get ready for camp, and when camp starts, just put everything focused all on the football in the meetings, out on the field and put all the hard work in.”