Super Wrong Prediction

Well, it is a good thing that I am not above being proved wrong. Unfortunately, the last-second drive was not meant to be, but it still made for a pretty good Super Bowl. I thought that the National Anthem was interesting although I love how Deion Sanders put on twitter that it was simply a "remix." Also, I was just reading all the stories on the Internet trashed the Black Eyed Peas, but I didn't think that they were that bad. Now on to the game. I thought that Pittsburgh came out incredibly slow and dug themselves in way too deep to get out. By the time they decided to start putting themselves together, they were already down by 14, and no team has ever come back from a deficit greater than 10 in the Super Bowl. I thought that tonight might be the night, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I was very impressed with Aaron Rodgers however. He came up big when he needed to what was obviously a huge part of the game. A number six team pulled off their last upset, so that is always fun, but I was hoping that the result would be different.

Photo by opensourceway on Flickr

Two Great Games

Well, what a day of football! Both games were excellent, but I will say that the second one was better. The Jets had an amazing rally, and the Steelers had an amazing first half. Unfortunately, the opposing halves for each team were less than stellar, but it made for a very competitive game. I never felt like the Bears had much of a shot versus the Packers. They couldn't get their offense running until they brought in their third stringer whom I had never heard of but did a pretty good job considering the defense he was playing against and the magnitude of the game he was thrown into. Now, we have a golden Super Bowl, so not only will that be a lot of fun, but I hope it will be pretty competitive. You have two great defenses against two great quarterbacks, but from what I thought today, I would have to say that Pittsburgh has the upper hand simply because I think that the running game will be what differentiates the teams, and Pittsburgh had quite the offensive ground attack rolling in the first half. Of course, I would love to hear more opinions too, so don't be afraid to send them in!

Photo by tedkerwin on Flickr

That Game Between Commercials

Well, the NFL playoffs have not quite gone as everyone expected. Nevertheless, it has been exciting so far. Now, the highlight is coming up. Of course you all know what I'm talking about. The most important part of the end of the football season is in the Super Bowl commercials. Isn't that why most people who never care about football for the rest of the year seemed to all watch on one night? I wonder if there will be any controversy on that this year like we had Tim Tebow and his apparently incredibly offensive pro-life advertisement that really turned out to be not even that blatant. It seems to be that way a lot of the time when something is talked up to be such a big controversy, it never can live up to the hype. However, who knows what will happen this year? Oh yeah, there is a game played as well in between the commercials. I have to get behind Philadelphia on that one out of loyalty sake, but quite honestly I would be very afraid of New England if I was in the playoffs. They have had a great year. However, let's go Eagles!

Photo by Ed Yourdon on Flickr

The Obvious Post

Well another Super Bowl has come and gone. Congratulations New Orleans on a great 31 to 17 victory! However, the Saints needed more than just skill to best Indianapolis; they needed guts. I will admit that the onside kick that started the second half was not even on my radar. That was the first time there was a successful onside kick before the fourth quarter in Super Bowl history! I doubt I was the only one who was surprised by this unorthodox move; in fact, I know this because many Colts were already dropping back to cover the kick return. I guess that in a game like the Super Bowl where any play might define the game the great teams make plays happen instead of reacting to what already has happened. Can you imagine the second-guessing if that play had failed? The only man who would have been more hated than Sean Payton would have been in New Orleans would be Steve Bartman in Chicago. However, as Aristotle astutely pointed out, "No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness." Hey, if madness is what it takes to win the Super Bowl, I don't think anybody in New Orleans will be complaining.

Another comment on a different aspect of the Super Bowl would be my feeling that halftime show performers should not be receiving Social Security checks. I am not age discriminating here; on the contrary, it is hard to see bands who were great in their day be so reduced in vocal quality. Tonight, they did not sound like the band who sang "Pinball Wizard" on my favorite playlist of downloaded music. I know people get old and voices change; however, I wish we could remember The Who as the band they were.

I am sorry to admit that I totally missed the Tim Tebow commercial. I'm sure you all know how it is when you are scurrying around to gather your full plate of the Super Bowl buffet before too much of the game is finished. While I was completing this ritual, I saw the end of the commercial but could not hear it over the general clamor in our house. However, it seemed too simple. I feel like such a big deal was made over this ad that was undeserved. I decided I needed to log online to review the commercial and see if it was as "un-American" as it was deemed before. No way! Watch the video here! With all the media hype that has been generated, I almost expected to see essentially a protest video. However, all Mrs. Tebow said was, "I call him my miracle baby. He almost didn't make it into this world." If so many people would not have made such a big deal over this advertisement, many people could have thought that Tim simply was a sickly baby who almost didn't survive. While it could be implied from the commercial that an abortion was suggested, there are other possibilities that could have occurred. All in all though, I am glad that Tim stood up for what he believed in regardless of the opinions of others.

It was a good Super Bowl even though my team didn't win. Maybe I need to have a religious experience with Sister Jean Kenny of the St. Francis Borgia Parish. She is 18-7 in choosing the Super Bowl over the last 25 years and has been dubbed the "Super Bowl Sister." As I continue my streak of picking the wrong team to win the Super Bowl to three years now, maybe it is time for a long-distance phone call...

Super Bowl Mania

While it always amazes me what control popular culture holds over many Americans, I am even more amazed by the fact that the Super Bowl so many viewings. I realize how popular football is in America, but it is crazy how many people watch the Super Bowl who have no clue about football. What makes this game so popular amongst people who care less about football the other 364 or 365 days of the year? I believe that this phenomenon can be largely attributed to the fact that the Super Bowl has become more than a football game; it has become a national institution. Some schools in Indiana have even considered canceling classes the day after the Super Bowl because the Colts are in it. You do not need to know much about football to appreciate the spectacle that has been built around the game. Some people even watch simply to see the sometimes innovative, sometimes controversial, but always entertaining commercials. Some people might watch just to see the half-time show (although given the past few half-time shows, I was less than impressed). Some people watch just so they won't be totally ignorant around the watercooler or office photocopier. There is nothing worse than being the only person in the office who has no idea that the Steelers beat the Cardinals last year. Also, the Super Bowl means camaraderie; how many other times throughout the year do you get to have all your friends over, eat the amazing food, and all share a single focus for about three hours. What has this single football game able to rise above the traditional boundaries of its market and appeal to a vast majority of people? I do not really know how to answer this; I would say, however, that the Super Bowl is a beautiful example of viral marketing. You need to know about the game, or you will be the only one or at least one of the few. Granted, the Super Bowl does spend a lot of money on direct advertising, but this feeling of necessity to watch the game seems to show similar trends with viral marketing strategies. If a buzz can be created surrounding an event so that everyone needs to know about it, the event will be successful. The Super Bowl is extraordinarily successful; they have discovered how to get all of society talking. I know I'll be watching the Super Bowl, and I hope that the rest of the country will catch the great feeling surrounding this game of all games.