So obviously, I'm disappointed in the outcome of yesterday's Super Bowl game. I wanted a 49er win so badly!! Alas, it wasn't meant to be, but the team is young and strong, and I'm confident that next year will be another fantastic year for them. Hell, losing the Super Bowl sucks, but it's better than losing the NFC/AFC Championship game, or not even making the playoffs at all, right?
Of course, watching the Super Bowl isn't just about cheering for your team. It's about the company, the food, the entertainment, and we can never forget the commercials. Here's how I did Super Bowl Sunday, and how I reacted to it.
The Company I Kept
My parents had been invited to their friends' house, along with others in their wine group that meets monthly, and I was warmly welcomed along. It was fun to watch a Niner Super Bowl with Mom--we've watched all those other past ones together. There were about a dozen people total, and there was no food shortage. We had pre-game appetizers, half-time hot dogs and chili, and a decadent brownies-and-ice-cream dessert. Not to mention the two vodka cranberries I had.
Throughout the game I also texted back and forth with a friend, and that was fun.
I had limited access to Twitter (the house we were visiting is out in the middle of nowhere so I had a max of two bars of reception on my phone at any given time), so I also had the company of my Twitter friends, including two Tweets from Keane's drummer, who also watched the game.
Oh Say Can You...Oh No You Didn't!!
I hated the National Anthem. Let me just throw that out there.
My friend thought it was "sexy," but reaction at the party I attended was lukewarm at best and downright dismayed from the two trained singers in the room. Mom and Dad's friend Karen has been singing for years and she and I just looked at each other with eyebrows raised as Alicia Keys slowed our up-tempo anthem down to the most boring anthem ever. Her vocal gymnastics were unnecessary and show-offy (and not a sign of good singing, no matter how many pop stars try to convince you that being able to do a whoa-oh-oh-oh approach to singing equals talent).
But most damning of all? This: "Oh, say...*GASP* can you seeeeeeeeee?"
No singer worth her salt needs a breath after singing only two words of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The First Half
I don't know where the 49ers were in the first half, but it sure wasn't on the field. My faith in David Akers was restored when he made two field goals--the only scores the Niners made in the whole half.
You Call This Entertainment?
I know a lot of people think Beyonce can do no wrong, but honestly, I've never been a fan. Oh, sure, she's gorgeous and she can shake her bon-bon and entertain. In terms of singing, she has that big I-can-belt-it!! thing going on, which is nice, but not hugely impressive.
That said, the show wasn't all that impressive. It takes more than a flaming guitar and lots of scantily-clad back-up dancers to make a great show, and this one just lacked the creativity and...joy. It was just another paycheck for these people or something. And it was a perfect opportunity for me to use the bathroom and make a trip to the kitchen for my chili dog.
The Second Half
Yeah, so the power outage was interesting. Heads are no doubt rolling in New Orleans this morning.
Even more interesting to me, of course, was that amazing resurgence in the 49ers when the game finally came back into play. Colin Kaepernick was awesome, Vernon Davis was on his top game. The defense mostly held the Ravens offense back.
Of course I believe the officials were absolutely idiotic to not call that obvious holding penalty on the Ravens. Michael Crabtree could have made that catch had he not been held. With the penalty, the Niners could have made the score. Alas, it wasn't to be, and the refs very much decided the outcome of the game by standing idly by.
Still, it was thrilling to see my Niners give it their best out there. They have some things to improve on--like first-half performance--but they have a lot to be proud of. They came back from a huge deficit to lose by only three points. That's gutsy.
Commercials...
A lot of talk is already happening about the ads, of course. I haven't read my usual blogs this morning, but I know the feminist blogs are going to be all over the incredibly offensive but also very stupid and not-clever ad by GoDaddy. It was, by far, the worst ad of the Super Bowl, but I suppose they don't care because this morning we're all talking about it.
For my part, I thought most of the commercials were pretty dull overall. The Doritos goat made me laugh, and I did love the Dodge Ram commercial about farmers for its vivid imagery, and the Jeep/USO commercial about our armed forces.
My favorite, hands-down, was Budweiser's Clydesdale commercial. Those are always great. Some are humorous, some are sweet, but they're always clever and beautifully written, even when not a word is spoken. Yesterday's left me smiling with a bit of a tear in my eye.
The Good, The Bad, The Weird
The best part of the game was having my team in the game, and watching them rally from so far behind to come so close. The worst part of the game was...well, they lost.
As for the weird, well, of course the 35-minute power outage takes that one.
Overall, it was a great game. I could honestly live without all of the crazy fuss and hype of halftime and four million dollar ads, but I suppose it adds to the excitement of the day. It's hardly just another football game, and shouldn't be treated as such.
Now, if you need me, I'll be readying myself for the next season. Only six months 'til NFL pre-season, and I want to be in good shape!
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