Dave Barry: Super Bowl was great - and so was the game
BY DAVE BARRY | Feb. 8, 2010
All in all I thought it was a terrific Super Bowl, except when the Toyota Corolla with the stuck throttle crashed through the west grandstands and took out the entire CBS sideline reporting staff.
I'm kidding, of course. It was a Camry. But other than that, it was a fantastic day at Sun Life Stadium, which at halftime officially changed its name to "ShamWow Stadium'' and by the end of the game was going by "Fred.''
From: Cagey (KGWAGNER) [#3] 8 Feb 13:32 To: Ghost (ACHILLES_NY) [#2] 8 Feb 14:04
I didn't see the half time show, so I don't know. But, regardless of his signature windmilling theatrics, he probably could use some arthroscopic surgery anyway. Like all the rockers from the flower power years, the guy's well into his 60s, and they've been hard years. They probably had to shoot him full of NSAIDs (at least) and stimulants just so he could support that 7½ pound Stratocaster for 15 minutes without falling over <grin>
From: leonsk [#5] 8 Feb 20:57 To: fixrman [#4] 9 Feb 5:36
I did not even know it was playing until I saw the final score news on Google news page. USA football not big here, Euro football (soccer) is da whip, followed by rugby and cricket (Crick who?).
From: fixrman [#6] 9 Feb 7:04 To: leonsk [#5] 9 Feb 7:09
That's the way it is with cricket here, with an occasional rugby match at odd times. I've watched a few rugby matches and can't seem to figure it out; seems there are a couple of different styles that are played.
From: worsel [#7] 9 Feb 7:37 To: fixrman [#6] 9 Feb 8:06
You know what they say about football - 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Rugby looks like a moving cloud of dust (or mud). It looks like a Pig Pen (Peanuts) get-together.
From: dimbulb [#8] 9 Feb 8:35 To: leonsk [#5] 9 Feb 18:26
Futbol is getting somewhat bigger here. We now have generations of kids who played organized soccer and the US team is no longer a joke and the pro Major League Soccer league is still kicking.
If you've ever played sports, it's easy to appreciate the skill level of soccer players. I've been a fan since the '66 World Cup when I was stationed in England and they won. I watch a couple of English Premier League games a week and see most of the big teams of Europe on the Fox Soccer Channel.
Basketball and Hockey, I never played and never watch. I never played soccer either but I think I would have liked it.
From: Ghost (ACHILLES_NY) [#10] 9 Feb 12:24 To: fixrman [#4] unread
quote:
You actually watched that? Last time I saw The Who doing some sort of a musical "thing", I wished I hadn't.
It's sorta become a tradition to watch the halftime show, I'm usually at a gathering and the TV pretty much stays on the same channel until the Superbowl is over; besides, we have great time making fun of whoever is on stage...
From: dimbulb [#11] 9 Feb 13:27 To: worsel [#9] 9 Feb 14:09
I'm curious any idea how many goals did the Germans dispute? The score was 4-2 with only one controversial English goal as I remember it and one disputed German goal. I don't remember the game being that close, the Germans look pretty and the English scored goals. I would have voted them Miss Congeniality though.
From: AussieGeoff [#12] 9 Feb 15:44 To: fixrman [#6] unread
G'Day
quote:
seems there are a couple of different styles that are played.
There are. There is Rugby Union and Rugby League. In Rugby Union (generally called Union) there are no tackles, the players pile on until the ball comes free or the referee calls a halt and when the ball goes out of bounds (called going into touch) who gets the ball is determined by a throw-in where players from both sides line up and contest the ball when it thrown in from the side line. In Rugby League (generally called League or Rugby League) there are tackles where when the tackle is completed the tackled player gets to his feet and using one foot passes the ball between his legs to another player in his side and there is no throw in. Union sides have 15 players on the field and League has 13. Either game can be played on the same field (they use the same size fields) but the ground markings are different. There are other differences but the above are probably the most obvious.
Originally Union was the only game but then League became a breakaway group (they were not happy with the rules).
According to Rugby fans Union is a game for thugs played by gentlemen and League is a game for gentlemen played by thugs.
From: leonsk [#13] 9 Feb 18:50 To: dimbulb [#8] 10 Feb 8:35
I started playing soccer as a very young lad (5+) in Germany. Just all the boys (no girls that I recall) got together and kicked the ball. Had goals but I don't recall that there were any rules other than no hands. Played off and on for many years after. My most fun was playing for several months with San Diego Marines. One practice day there were the SD Chargers pro footballers on adjacent field; they challenged us to game. Very amusing to see those beefcakes playing footie, but some were good. Also great fun playing senior soccer league in Dallas years ago. Some very exhausted dudes on a hot late afternoon.
I played football in Brooklyn Tech HS but never really enjoyed it much.
From: dimbulb [#14] 10 Feb 9:17 To: leonsk [#13] 10 Feb 21:56
There was TV competition in the '70 that pitted pro athletes of all kinds against each other. An unknown American soccer player name Kyle Rote Jr proceeded to dominate the competition for several years. It was pretty obvious that even 3rd rate pro soccer players were conditioned at levels unknown in other sports at the time.
That's why I don't understand why so few Americans appreciate Futbol even as fan. I just don't see how anyone who ever played sports can watch what they can do and not be awed.
From: leonsk [#15] 10 Feb 22:26 To: dimbulb [#14] 11 Feb 10:19
I think the lack of appreciation of soccer in USA is not due to the fans but the sponsors. Look at the way football is presented on TV, an almost ideal advertising medium. Lots of breaks for timeouts, subs, 1 and 10, long half-time, etc. Plenty of ad space. Then look at a footie game, all action for 45 mins (maybe a quick injury replacement), then a half-time, then another 45 mins of pretty much nonstop. Could try banner ads around the border such as was done many years ago. But in sum, very little money to be made by TV stations.
Yes, can say much the same re advert space in basketball and hockey, but we are talking about the real big-time money. And it cannot be just contact sport, because you have maxi-contact with rugby (give blood, play rugby). So, a bit of American tradition and psyche, and a lot of money involved.
From: Cagey (KGWAGNER) [#16] 11 Feb 5:04 To: leonsk [#15] 11 Feb 20:22
I never thought about the advertising fit with football, but that makes sense. They spend a great deal of time screwing around. Takes three hours to play a game with four 15 minute quarters. It's one of the reasons I could never get interested in it. With my attention span, they could never hold me more than 2 or 3 minutes. Not that I could get interested in a bunch of armored behemoths fighting over a ball that doesn't even bounce straight anyway.
From: worsel [#17] 11 Feb 5:14 To: leonsk [#15] 11 Feb 20:22
The length and the number of the commercial breaks is definitely dictated by TV at the insistence of the sponsors. Many times the players are just standing around waiting for the TV timeout to end. The commercials are not fitted into the breaks in the action, the action is tailored to occur between commercials. During the last Super Bowl CBS managed to fit at least one play between each two commercials.
From: dimbulb [#19] 11 Feb 10:50 To: leonsk [#15] 11 Feb 20:22
quote:
I think the lack of appreciation of soccer in USA is not due to the fans but the sponsors.
Wait. You're saying because adverting can't make as much dough on soccer, that's why people don't care for it that much? Huh? You mean if they could stop the game more often and insert lots of ads people would like it better and it would become popular? Really? You think that?
No! People don't care for soccer, they don't watch the games that are televised in great numbers, relatively adless as they are.
People tolerate the ads in whatever sportbecause they like the games . They'd like it even better without them.
And if they liked soccer they'd watch it and if lots of them watched it, the ads, however few would pay the bills the way it does in almost all the rest of the world. And its not as though soccer has not had exposure in the US, it has and in general it's not that popular. That's the way it is and it's ad potential has nothing to do it, in fact it's relative lack of ads is a plus but just not a big enough plus.
And it's not exactly as though soccer was ad free... at least no American sport sends its players on the field festooned with ads on their jersey at all times. And TV soccer loads up on pre-game, long half-time and post game ads.
And anyhow American sponsors aren't shy about preempting live action for ads. So if soccer was popular they'd butt right in and do the ads just like they do with NASCAR which is wildly popular these days.
From: Cagey (KGWAGNER) [#20] 11 Feb 12:02 To: dimbulb [#19] 11 Feb 13:27
I'm not sure that's true. I think it's a chicken/egg thing. People do what they're told. So, if something isn't advertised as being necessary or desirable to watch, they don't watch it. They don't know they're supposed to. Networks don't advertise things they don't make a lot of money at, and they can't sell a lot of ads for soccer time because there aren't many eyes on it. It's a vicious circle. And that has to be true, or shows like "American Idol" or any of the "reality" shows wouldn't exist. Nobody would choose to watch that shit on their own. They have to be told to do it.
