Congratulations to the Pittsburg Steelers for reaching the pinnacle of all sports by winning Super Bowl XL, even if it's disputable to some. I can't say the play was anywhere near spectacular on either side of the ball, but with a few big plays and a little help from the men in the black and white stripes they did enough to fend off the potent Seahawks offense. I am glad to see "The Bus" ride off into the sunset in an ideal fashion. It'll also be nice to not have to hear any more of the human-interest pieces about him playing his last game in his home town.
I had a great time at my Steeler friend's bash, consuming plenty of food and even more of the official beer of football (unfortunately no twins were present). Winning the first half of our football pool didn't hurt either. But ultimately, the thing that makes Super Bowl Sunday the most enjoyable for me is being surrounded by good friends with everyone from your hardcore fan to the "I'm just here for the beer" guy engaged in the event. It's a day that falls just below Christmas, the 4th of July, and New Year's Eve in my book.
As an advertising major (and hopefully lifetime professional), I take even more interest in the entire spectacle that game day due to the infamous multi-million dollar commercial spots (a cool $2.6 mil per :30 this year). I'm not going to give an in-depth analysis like every ad and marketing blog out there seems to be doing, but I will say I thought the commercials were above average as a whole this year. Generally speaking, the humor was a bit smarter than last year, staying away from the crude and crass stuff in favor of more outright quirky stuff. My favorite spot was either the Fed Ex Cave Man spot or Bud Light's "Magic Fridge." I was definitely a little disappointed by Burger King, though my dwelling on the concept would never go as far as this funny little diatribe in comic form.
I've also found it interesting how many advertising and media experts have argued the "value," or complete lack thereof, in the Super Bowl :30 spot. There's good arguments on both sides of the coin. While marketers could surely find a lot more effective (and more creative) ways to spend $2.6 million dollars, it's hard to argue against the post-game buzz and the number people going online to watch free downloads of the spots available via countless major websites.
Well, that's my little "Post Super-Bowl Wrap-up." It's going to be a long three weeks without any worthwhile sports to watch (see: March Madness). Yes, I did just discount the winter Olympics.
Before I go, let me remind you that the next time you're out on the town, do it up like Big Ben does...
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