AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > February > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USA couch potato for the Super Bowl
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
So this is what it’s like. Kindle a fire. Pop the popcorn. Cat at your feet. Tasty adult beverage in hand. Super Bowl a la carte.
You push a button and it is delivered to you (and 92,999,999 other viewers), cozily reclining by the fireside. No tipping. This time I even got to watch all those $2.5 million commercials, and I needed an interpreter for some of them. My favorite was the one of the little street dog that wound up on the Clydesdale wagon, but I saw little that’ll change my buying habits. I’m left to wonder how these companies that are losing billions - Ford, for instance - and these little companies that produce nuts and munchies can afford such extravagance.
And for the halftime show, I watched this one without distractions. We’d reserved halftime for dinner, and I’m still not sure what I was seeing. Prince is an entertainer, right? He sings and dances and attracts babes. He paid tribute to the weather. I guess that’s what “Purple Rain” was, but truth to tell, since Up With Something or Other, whatever the name of that wholesome group was, most of these halftime ballets have been over my head.
This must be said: After a week of predictions, repeated over and over again, and of Mike and Dan and Merle and Eric and Shannon and the television avalanche, not to mention Kevin and John and Buck and Mort and all those “NFL insiders,” it was time for some blood and thunder. Sunday morning always makes me nervous. You never know when another Stanley Wilson or Eugene Robinson or Barret Robbins is going to break his tether. Not this time, not with those two good Christian coaches. If you noticed, Tony Dungy even gave God some credit in his benediction. Good man.
The Hall of Fame Committee gave the weekend more Tabasco than usual. That must have been a knockdown, trash-talking session. Try as hard as they do, the presiding court cannot prevent leaks about the indoor wrestlemania that took place. The main feature was the bout that dealt with the just-retired commissioner, Paul Tagliabue. The Tagliabue issue set off a firestorm that lasted 57 minutes, and both the pros and the cons, I’m told, spared no ammunition.
Committee members come, largely, from cities in the NFL, with a few at-large. In the 30 years that I served, discussion began at 7:30 in the morning and ended no later than 11:30. Some of us timed it to work in a round of golf later. But lately, parliamentary sessions had been running dangerously close to the time television had scheduled to announce the newly anointed members. With sensitive foresight, announcement time had been moved back to 2:30 this year, or TV would have been stuck with dead air, for the bickering didn’t come to an end until 2:05. It was a session some described as “highly contentious.”
They came out with a full slate, finally, six members, but no Tagliabue. All athletes. Usually there is a coach or two thrown in for consideration, but by this time, I would hope, they must have grown wiser. For instance, Joe Gibbs was voted in, then came back out of retirement and has not had a Hall of Fame record. Marv Levy was voted in, and he’s now back as general manager of the Bills. Bill Parcells’ name came up, he was passed over, then later returned to coach the Cowboys. As for Tagliabue and his backers - and they were loud and strong, and offended, especially when they learned he had not even survived the first cut - they should consider that Pete Rozelle, probably the best commissioner of any sport all time, was put through this grinder eight times before he made it.
As for the game and the weather, it made the Georgia Dome look like a cozy haven, even with an ice storm. And you should know that the rain came down harder than it appeared on television. But, no, the Super Bowl will not be a full-time undercover game from now on. In fact, three years from now, it goes back to Miami. The NFL is a slow learner. I can assure you that had I been able to include it in my “Best-Worst” list, this one would have taken the prize for worst in show.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Furman Bisher
Services »
Comments
By Ken Strickland
February 7, 2007 12:33 AM | Link to this
The weather had such an effect, the SB was reduced to just another NFL game. Too bad.
By Boots
February 7, 2007 06:13 AM | Link to this
I was glad to see Manning win the big one. Was disappointed in the Bear defense. I thought they would keep the Bears in the game; however, it’s hard to win when you offense is kept off the field. I do agree with Mr. Bisher regarding the half time show and thought the shadow thing was rather cheesy. Congrats to Manning and Co.
By William
February 7, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this
Now if CBS 46 wil catch up with the rest of the Atlanta stations by broadcasting in HD - we will be set!
By Devastator
February 7, 2007 12:31 PM | Link to this
The Falcons need to trade Vick for Rex Grossman. That would be a tremendous improvement.
By famuan
February 7, 2007 02:29 PM | Link to this
Congrats to Polian, Dungy and the Colts team!
By Gene
February 7, 2007 11:13 PM | Link to this
There is just too much money in all of this. I wonder where it is going and if it will ever stop. The commercials were the worst I remember.