This question originally appeared on Quora. 
Answer by Ted Sundquist, GM of the Denver Broncos (2002-2008)
I was on one side of this situation and a lot of my peers were on the other side. When I was in Denver, I made a point of going to the Super Bowl as general manager, and the reason that I did was that I thought it was a great reminder of what we were in the business for, of what we were trying ultimately every year to get to, it was that moment, those two weeks when the team goes down into that game.
It kind of re-energized me and gave me a spark as we headed into the free agency period and preparations for the draft. Now a lot of general managers back then didn't want to go; they felt that if they weren't in it, they didn't want to go or be around it or have anything to do with it. And they'd head off to the college all-star games or they would focus on just watching more tape and film, or continuing to evaluate and review their own rosters.
I think there's time to break away from that for a week to focus on your responsibility to help your team get to that point, to be a part of it. I didn't get excited or revel in it, because the Broncos weren't there, but I absolutely immersed myself in it and wanted my people to be there.
There are a lot of young general managers in the NFL now; the profession is moving towards a younger group of guys who are playing that role. And I think a lot of those guys focus more on draft preparation, going to all-star games, continuing to watch the tape, than they do on going to the Super Bowl. That's a guess of mine. I haven't been in a while.