Monday, February 04, 2002
Ah yes, the Super Bowl, the Most Magical Time of the Year. The two best teams in the nation, slogging it out against each other with beautiful plays, dazzling athleticism, and witty badinage between players, coaches, and commentators alike. And, lest we forget, The Commercials! Enchanted and bewitched by the latest product-hyping, we hold our collective breaths and bladders, not wanting to miss a second.
Okay, I think I was one of the very few people who didn't really like this year's Super Bowl. However, recognizing that most people did, I'll make the bashing fairly short and say what I thought was good about it. Unfortunately, the two best teams, the Rams and the Steelers, didn't bother to show up for the Super Bowl and AFC Conference Championship, respectively. Thus, the Patriots will be insufferable for a year, which I suppose is a step up from the Ravens being insufferable. The commentary was fairly weak (did anyone else notice that the yellow-pen stuff Madden is famous for was computerized?), and the gameplay for most of the first three quarters was lackluster. We didn't have the solid wall of great commercials like I'd hoped for, and were instead treated to ads for local car dealerships and Kroger. Several of my friends agreed that the Super Bowl should be the Redskins vs. Steelers every year, no matter what their records are. I thought the displaying of names for the people who died in the attacks was pretty tacky, and I was a little bit confused to notice that the flag used in the thing with former Presidents reading Lincoln's stuff had 48 stars, rather than the customary 50.
On the bright side, it didn't go into overtime. The Patriots had an outstanding defense, and if I'd gone with my normal custom of rooting for the underdog, I might've enjoyed it more. However, with the Redskins missing the playoffs, the Hokies losing the Gator Bowl, and having been at a losing Tech basketball game just a few hours earlier, I figured it would be okay just this once to go for the sure-shot and experience a win. I was impressed by their decision to be introduced as a team rather than individually, and yes, they were sort-of a Cinderella team. The patriotic ads were nice, and Mariah Carey didn't massacre the national anthem like many singers. A lot of people seem happy that a team called the Patriots won the Super Bowl, and I suppose I can't really argue with that, though Sgt. Stryker makes a good point. The beer ads were entertaining as ever, and my only criticism is that the best ad was shown first (the one for Miller Lite that was a take-off on BattleBots). Finally, I do give the Patriots credit for their "no, I think I'll just beat him now" attitude in the final minute and a half.
All-in-all, I would've preferred a Redskins-Steelers game, but I can't always have my way.
Okay, I think I was one of the very few people who didn't really like this year's Super Bowl. However, recognizing that most people did, I'll make the bashing fairly short and say what I thought was good about it. Unfortunately, the two best teams, the Rams and the Steelers, didn't bother to show up for the Super Bowl and AFC Conference Championship, respectively. Thus, the Patriots will be insufferable for a year, which I suppose is a step up from the Ravens being insufferable. The commentary was fairly weak (did anyone else notice that the yellow-pen stuff Madden is famous for was computerized?), and the gameplay for most of the first three quarters was lackluster. We didn't have the solid wall of great commercials like I'd hoped for, and were instead treated to ads for local car dealerships and Kroger. Several of my friends agreed that the Super Bowl should be the Redskins vs. Steelers every year, no matter what their records are. I thought the displaying of names for the people who died in the attacks was pretty tacky, and I was a little bit confused to notice that the flag used in the thing with former Presidents reading Lincoln's stuff had 48 stars, rather than the customary 50.
On the bright side, it didn't go into overtime. The Patriots had an outstanding defense, and if I'd gone with my normal custom of rooting for the underdog, I might've enjoyed it more. However, with the Redskins missing the playoffs, the Hokies losing the Gator Bowl, and having been at a losing Tech basketball game just a few hours earlier, I figured it would be okay just this once to go for the sure-shot and experience a win. I was impressed by their decision to be introduced as a team rather than individually, and yes, they were sort-of a Cinderella team. The patriotic ads were nice, and Mariah Carey didn't massacre the national anthem like many singers. A lot of people seem happy that a team called the Patriots won the Super Bowl, and I suppose I can't really argue with that, though Sgt. Stryker makes a good point. The beer ads were entertaining as ever, and my only criticism is that the best ad was shown first (the one for Miller Lite that was a take-off on BattleBots). Finally, I do give the Patriots credit for their "no, I think I'll just beat him now" attitude in the final minute and a half.
All-in-all, I would've preferred a Redskins-Steelers game, but I can't always have my way.
