One Hundred Eleven Million People Can’t Be Wrong

Last Sunday 111.5 million people tuned in to watch the 48^th Super Bowl. That’s more people than have watched any other single event in the history of television. As most prognosticators had predicted the first play from scrimmage was a snap that sailed over Peyton Manning’s head into the end zone, where running back Knowshon Moreno pounced on it to limit the damage to two points. That’s all right, the Broncos high-powered offense is known for comebacks. Right?—Wrong!  When Percy Harvin ran the opening kickoff of the second half back for a touchdown making the score 29-0, the question became whether the Rocky Mountain high team may set a new low, by being the first team in Super Bowl history to be shutout. Peyton ended speculation by completing the final pass of the third quarter for a touchdown followed by a two-point conversion. Those would be the only points they would score, leaving them only 30 short of their average for the year. The old adage, “Offenses win games; Defenses win championships,” seemed to ring true.

"What do you mean Rubber Ducky?
My mother told me I was a Seahawk."

Yet, in the aftermath of this lopsided game the thrill of being a part of this historic event seems to have lost none of its luster. Like the proverbial winter sports fan who comments about going to see a boxing match and a hockey game breaks out, the Super Bowl viewer with rare exception is less interested in the game than the spectacle. Although somewhat upstaged by the corruption and anti-gay politics surrounding the Sochi Olympics that start tomorrow, the selection of a New Jersey venue, which hosts both New York football teams, proved to be a brilliant move to generate discussion. Suffering the area’s coldest and snowiest days in a century a week before kickoff made people question the sanity of the decision, to say nothing of the controversy the colorful governor of New Jersey sparked when some of his staff deliberately delayed traffic on the George Washington Bridge because politicians failed to endorse his candidacy. C’mon folks, this is Jersey.

"Only Berke Breathed thinks I'm a Penguin.
The rest of the world knows I'm a Seahawk."

At our house my wife arranged the party. Now, Debbie likes football, even one-sided demolitions, as long as it’s the Packers playing and the team doing the demolishing wears green and gold. Of the two couples she invited, one doesn’t care about sports, and the other the wife is starting to learn about some of the rules governing football. My sister and nephew stopped by on the way to my mother’s house and ended up staying for the entire event. They prefer bowling. So, out of eight viewers we had two football fans. Case in point, when the one couple arrived we rewound the DVR to watch opera singer, Renee Fleming give possibly the best rendition of the national anthem ever performed at a sporting event.

"Those hombres don't reserve to call themselves Broncos.
They played more like Shetland Ponies."

The debacle that will haunt Denver fans for a few more days or weeks, depending on how their basketball and baseball teams tend to fair, allowed us to go back for seconds on the fish and chicken, as well as get an extra slice of Boston cream pie (and the Patriots weren’t even playing—not that anyone in attendance at our house would have gotten the significance). We were truly able to mourn the loss of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, appreciate the performance of Bruno Mars, and most importantly, analyze the quality of the commercials we normally zip past when watching our pre-recorded programs. Leading to the question, “Why do companies pay $4 million for 30 seconds of air time during this program?” Of course, then there is the more significant controversy concerning whether it is possible for a Labrador retriever puppy to have a loving relationship with a Clydesdale.