Super Bowl: Ads, Beer, Snacks..Oh Yeah--And A Game

A funny thing happens when you don’t care who wins the Super Bowl—you actually ENJOY the telecast!

Don’t get me wrong—I wish the Patriots had been in it yesterday. Being a lifelong Redskin fan, I also hearken back to those Super Bowl glory days—looking forward to the day when the ‘Skins make another appearance.

I may be a grandfather before that happens.

Anyway, the absence of adrenalin, stress and anxiety made for a rather enjoyable evening. Had I a “horse in the race”, I would have OD’d on pre-game hype, seeking out the keys to victory for my team.

Yesterday, I didn’t care. Packers. Steelers. Whatever.

I actually thought the Steelers would win. After they handled the Jets, who had embarrassed the Patriots, I truly believed that Pittsburgh was just too good on defense and too multi-faceted on offense to lose. I think “Big Ben “ is a big jerk, but I really like the coach Mike Tomlin and the entire Steelers organization.

After all, the Green Bay Packers were mostly dependent on Aaron Rodgers. Ring his bell a couple of times and he becomes a different player. I thought the Steelers would actually risk giving up a big play or two in exchange for a couple of blitzes that would leave Rodgers on his back. Had they done so, I believe another outcome would have resulted.

Regardless, it was a pretty good game—and Pittsburgh’s furious comeback in the second half kept things interesting. The telecast was OK—I give it a B+.

The Super Bowl has the distinction of keeping you tuned in mentally when the commercial breaks happen. In fact, fans seem more likely to take their bathroom breaks during a lull in the action rather than during the spot breaks.

While I thought the commercials were below average this year in entertainment value, there were a few good ones, including the following CareerBuilder.com ad-featuring the ever-popular chimps:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRDx18GYITw

If I were the NFL Commissioner, I would have instituted on the following changes in yesterday’s spectacle:

1) Count the seats before you sell tickets. Hundreds of ticket holders were denied entrance yesterday---forced to watch the game OUTSIDE on big screen TV’s. Embarrassing.

2) Audition whomever you choose to sing the National Anthem. Whoever it is should both know the words and refrain from changing the note progression of the song itself. Francis Scott Key might not have recognized what happened Sunday as his composition. I like Christina Aguilera, but she botched the deal in front of millions upon millions.

3) The Medal of Honor winner who got a brief minute in the spotlight during halftime should have had a more prominent role—like flipping the coin. OK to have Deion Sanders out there with the other Hall of Famers, but choosing him to flip the coin was a mistake.

4) The Black Eyed Peas. Decent visually in what is historically a horrible setting for any coherent musical performance, but Fergie (whom I actually like) was off-key. As the years go by, it becomes harder to choose a top-level act. While the Super Bowl attracts a cross section of America, my bet is that over 80% of the audience both inside and outside the stadium would not call themselves “fans” of will.i.am and the crew. The Who (perhaps a better fit demographically) were stale last year. Who will it be next year? Start looking NOW.

5) Tell John Madden that the former President and First Lady were sitting NEXT to him, so texting (or playing Madden 2011) on his smartphone when the cameras peeked into the VIP box was bad form. Funny, but rude.

6) Dispense with the ridiculous “spoofs”—like the one featuring Shaquille O’Neal. I realize that Fox has a lot of time to fill, but really?

7) Think about who is appearing with who. Sending former Dallas Cowboy great Roger Staubach to the podium with the Vince Lombardi trophy had to be Jerry Jones’ idea, but did he not realize that Roger the dodger would be handing it off to Fox Sports analyst (and former nemesis Terry Bradshaw). These two hate each other from all reports—and while we could hear the stilted pleasantries, it was clear that Roger couldn’t wait to leave.

8) Start the kickoff at 4pm so kids can stay up and watch the whole game. I understand the desire to hit “prime time”, but really—the audience for a Super Bowl wouldn’t be LESS if played earlier. More people who have to work or go to school the next day (everyone) would get to watch the entire game. The other upside is that the hosting network would have a huge lead-in at a REASONABLE hour to showcase their pet show, which always follows the post-game show.


I’m sure you have other suggestions as well.

Given the winter weather in Dallas this past week, the fact that there was no security incident or major power failure means that the NFL will call this a big success. Haven’t heard about the ratings yet, but likely less than had the Jets or Patriots been playing Chicago.

For me, the chips and dip were good, the beer was cold—and there was no stress over the outcome.

Next year,however, wil be a different story. I’ll be all wound up as the AFC Champion New England Patriots take on the NFC Champion Washington Redskins!!!

If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com