Solid
Recent Super Bowl contests have been overloaded with empty sweets like a Coldstone ice cream (and I am a fan of the cold stuff), leaving many fans with cavities, stomach aches and weary eyes. Football is my first love outside of family, so as the NFL Championship Game (d)evolved into the Madison Avenue concoction we know of today, I had grown more and more disturbed by the influx of casual fans that descended onto our living rooms as if the game was gift-wrapped for them and them alone. Sadly, there has been some truth to that as the blending of advertising, music and sports put the country’s most watched event into a tale spin. After New England and Philadelphia bought sleep apnea sufferers to slumber last year, the Super Bowl needed a wake up.
For the first time in years, the Super Bowl was being billed as the Super Bowl, not the extravaganza we have seen over time. I can't remember the last time that the game, the true centerpiece of midwinter, was promoted more than the halftime show or the commercials. The largest part of this is due to the fact that this was the fortieth such contest, something that should be treasured as professional sports have done their best for other major anniversaries. The NFL and ABC did a great job for the most part, keeping most commercials around the matchup of Seattle and Pittsburgh while devoting one or two spots to the halftime show. Until last year, it was a bigger deal to know the halftime performers and which commercials were the biggest successes in the first half. Some of us could recall that first class Monday morning when the teacher/professor asked what was the favorite commercial. Of course, this meant more because until the turn of the century, most of the contests were decided before the third quarter. Most of the people in your living room couldn't tell you the difference between Ben Rothlisberger and Uncle Ben's Rice, so they weren't paying much attention as is. Football fans would be disappointed if the game was a total rout not only because the decisiveness, but because there were those people who only came for the free food and the commericals.
This wasn't their Super Bowl. Finally.
Of course, if you asked me which was my favorite commercial, for the first time ever, I couldn't tell you. There was nothing memorable about anything except the game. There was more controversy about the officiating than there was about GoDaddy.com's thirteenth version of their 30-second ad. I agree that there was way too much hype about Jerome Bettis' homecoming and the game's Nick and Jessica... I mean, Jerramy Stevens and Joey Porter. However, for those of us that watched throughout the entire season, you swore that this season's Seahawks were the greatest team to ever play football west of the Mississippi in the manner they were being touted by the talking heads. Shaun Alexander was viewed more than anyone this season except for the Colts and Seattle's cry for respect could be contradicted by the fact that they owned the highlight reels and played three nationally-televised games. Pittsburgh was left for dead after losing three straight to fall to a 7-5 record. After backing into the playoffs, they suddenly defeated the top three teams in the AFC on the road, games they were true underdogs. The Steelers had to be talked up because they weren't supposed to be in Detroit.
On that note, I will say that it was an all-around good game. It wasn't one of the classics that football fans have appreciated in the last few years (Rams/Titans, Patriots/Rams, Patriots/Panthers), but we have to be careful to overrate them (Broncos/Packers, Patriots/Eagles) or completely dismiss it (Packers/Patriots, Broncos/Falcons, Ravens/Giants, Bucs/Raiders after Gannon's INTs in the third quarter). It was a solid way to end another mediocre season as these playoffs reminded fans why football is the preeminent sport in the United States.
Say What?!?!: Next season has many plots of intrigue that have little to do with what happens on the field. While Reggie Bush's first NFL game will be hyped as much as LeBron James' first NBA contest, there are a couple of things that fans should look out for outside of the Draft and Brett Favre's retirement watch. The Saints will return to New Orleans much sooner than planned... so said as of last night. It will be the first sporting event in the city since Katrina hit, but how will the league, team and players continue to handle the most unique situation in the league's history. Is the Superdome truly going to be ready, especially considering that the Hornets won't return to the city until 2007? Will the Saints come back for good? Probably a little more on the minds of league executives, unless the NFL wants to look as bad as New York's MTA this past December, the labor talks will be discussed and dissected throughout the season unless both parties can work it out sooner.
For the first time in years, the Super Bowl was being billed as the Super Bowl, not the extravaganza we have seen over time. I can't remember the last time that the game, the true centerpiece of midwinter, was promoted more than the halftime show or the commercials. The largest part of this is due to the fact that this was the fortieth such contest, something that should be treasured as professional sports have done their best for other major anniversaries. The NFL and ABC did a great job for the most part, keeping most commercials around the matchup of Seattle and Pittsburgh while devoting one or two spots to the halftime show. Until last year, it was a bigger deal to know the halftime performers and which commercials were the biggest successes in the first half. Some of us could recall that first class Monday morning when the teacher/professor asked what was the favorite commercial. Of course, this meant more because until the turn of the century, most of the contests were decided before the third quarter. Most of the people in your living room couldn't tell you the difference between Ben Rothlisberger and Uncle Ben's Rice, so they weren't paying much attention as is. Football fans would be disappointed if the game was a total rout not only because the decisiveness, but because there were those people who only came for the free food and the commericals.
This wasn't their Super Bowl. Finally.
Of course, if you asked me which was my favorite commercial, for the first time ever, I couldn't tell you. There was nothing memorable about anything except the game. There was more controversy about the officiating than there was about GoDaddy.com's thirteenth version of their 30-second ad. I agree that there was way too much hype about Jerome Bettis' homecoming and the game's Nick and Jessica... I mean, Jerramy Stevens and Joey Porter. However, for those of us that watched throughout the entire season, you swore that this season's Seahawks were the greatest team to ever play football west of the Mississippi in the manner they were being touted by the talking heads. Shaun Alexander was viewed more than anyone this season except for the Colts and Seattle's cry for respect could be contradicted by the fact that they owned the highlight reels and played three nationally-televised games. Pittsburgh was left for dead after losing three straight to fall to a 7-5 record. After backing into the playoffs, they suddenly defeated the top three teams in the AFC on the road, games they were true underdogs. The Steelers had to be talked up because they weren't supposed to be in Detroit.
On that note, I will say that it was an all-around good game. It wasn't one of the classics that football fans have appreciated in the last few years (Rams/Titans, Patriots/Rams, Patriots/Panthers), but we have to be careful to overrate them (Broncos/Packers, Patriots/Eagles) or completely dismiss it (Packers/Patriots, Broncos/Falcons, Ravens/Giants, Bucs/Raiders after Gannon's INTs in the third quarter). It was a solid way to end another mediocre season as these playoffs reminded fans why football is the preeminent sport in the United States.
Say What?!?!: Next season has many plots of intrigue that have little to do with what happens on the field. While Reggie Bush's first NFL game will be hyped as much as LeBron James' first NBA contest, there are a couple of things that fans should look out for outside of the Draft and Brett Favre's retirement watch. The Saints will return to New Orleans much sooner than planned... so said as of last night. It will be the first sporting event in the city since Katrina hit, but how will the league, team and players continue to handle the most unique situation in the league's history. Is the Superdome truly going to be ready, especially considering that the Hornets won't return to the city until 2007? Will the Saints come back for good? Probably a little more on the minds of league executives, unless the NFL wants to look as bad as New York's MTA this past December, the labor talks will be discussed and dissected throughout the season unless both parties can work it out sooner.
posted by Jason Clinkscales @ 4:01 PM
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