Super Sunday Mania

It is indeed that time of the year, the most prestigious sporting event ever crafted is upon us; the Super Bowl. Who knew that a simple game envisioned and named by Lamar Hunt in 1967, would pit the champion of the American Football Conference (then the AFL) and the National Football Conference (then the NFL) would turn out to be what it is today? The Super Bowl is the most watched TV program of the year, usually garnering 80-90 million viewers with over 140 million people world wide tuning in at some point in the game. Obviously, Americans are enamored with the Super Bowl and the events surrounding it for many reasons, mainly the simple fact that it is the middle of winter. What else do we have to do besides sit on our duffs stuffing our faces with Tostitos?

There is also the added bonus of viewing the countless new and highly “original” commercials. It is the only time of year when Americans are able to experience an onslaught of new material all at once and usually underscored by a comedic twist. Personally, I enjoy the Anheiser-Busch commercials. Who knew that beer would seem more tempting after watching a pilot jump out of an airplane without a parachute to retrieve a cold one? This year 30 second advertisements will cost companies roughly $3 million. Every year the cost goes up, as do tire sales. We even get to witness over 670 pounds of confetti fall from the sky after the winner of the game is decided. If you are lucky and have $5-10K to blow on a ticket, you get to witness it all in person. Hot damn!

Finally onto the most overlooked part of the Super Bowl, the game. The Colts are a 7 point favorite, which was bound to happen. But with the success of the AFC in the past 7 of 9 games, there is no doubt that those in Vegas are going to play it safe. But I believe that it should be a classic game of a high powered offense versus a powerful defense. We all know defense wins championships, so it is rather obvious where my allegiance lies. With all of the hype surrounding Peyton Manning, Rex Grossman has been severely overlooked. Grossman has had 7 games with a quarterback rating over 100. Guess who also had the same statistic? That’s right, Peyton Manning himself! As with any Bears game it is a matter of whether the good Rex Grossman shows up and if the defense plays like they are on a planet with less gravity, especially Brian Urlacher’s.

Flem’s Super Bowl Prediction: Colts 10, Bears 21