Prince Plays Super Bowl, Beats NFL

The Super Bowl is the epitome of the National Football League’s entertainment offering. It is hype, it is anticipation, and it is usually a disappointment. Super Bowl XLI was no exception. A close game until the 4th quarter, the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears played a weak game of football in the Miami rain. Fumbles, missed extra point attempts and a Chicago defense that seemed bored didn’t result in the game of the year. Meanwhile, Prince played at halftime, and proved once and for all that the Prince v. Michael Jackson debate is truly over. Mr. Jackson lost.

Championship contests should showcase the two finest teams a league has to offer for that year playing at the height of their prowess under ideal conditions. Naturally, that is rarely the way it happens. Often and especially since the development of the “wild card” play-off berth, the best team doesn’t make it to the final. In addition, after several weeks of competition, there are some players who are too beaten up and worn out to play their best, and this is the case in American football in particular. As for ideal conditions, football connoisseurs will argue over what those are, but Miami on a rainy February night is almost assuredly not on the list.

However, the Super Bowl is more than just a second-rate game. It’s about the anticipation, the drama, the personal profiles. In short, it’s gossip about the guys who are going to go out and underperform. This is not their fault, however. The blame lies with the sports media, who think they are journalists. For instance, Sam Ryan announced that Dolphin Stadium could handle 8-10 inches of rain an hour, or the equivalent of 102,000 gallons. That is irrelevant if the ball is slippery. Katie Couric, who is impersonating a journalist for CBS every evening, did a middling piece on Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and the problems bi-racial children face in Korea – Mr. Hines is of mixed ancestry. In another context, this might rank as a solid effort, but precisely what it had to do with the game played in Miami is hard to say.

If that weren’t enough vapid dead air, there were the commercials. Everyone still talks about the 1984 Apple MacIntosh commercial, which like the LBJ countdown ad, ran just once. However, this year, big business played it safe, and they were as unmemorable as the products they hyped. Lions talking about Taco Bell? Maybe the BBC license system would be preferable if it meant no more stupid ads.

And then, there was Prince. Playing “Purple Rain” during the Miami downpour was inevitable, yet quite appropriate. He riffed through a quick medley of his big hits and took on "All Along the Watchtower" while proving that he’s still one of the best guitar players working. Pity poor CBS that couldn’t seem to keeps its lenses dry and clean. Perhaps, next year, Prince can play for three hours, and the NFL can perform during his intermission.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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