Face off: The best part of the Super Bowl

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Joel Petterson: The game

I like the E*Trade baby as much as anyone. I’ve already spent a solid hour replaying his airplane commercial. Traveling business-babies just don’t get old.

Even so, the enjoyment I get from the financially-inclined baby doesn’t measure up to the incredible, hold-your-breath, “did-that-really-just-happen?” moments of the Super Bowl itself. Take moments such as David Tyree’s 2008 helmet-catch two years ago, Adam Vinatieri’s last-second, game-winning field goal in 2002 and, of course, Tracy Porter’s fourth-quarter interception that sent the city of New Orleans into a drunken championship frenzy on Sunday.

It is moments such as these on a stage as big as the Super Bowl that make the game more important and entertaining than commercials, even those with a talking baby.

Unless he’s playing football. If we can get a bunch of talking babies to play football, I’ll never watch anything else again.

Ben Cohen: The ads

Let me just start off with this important note: I love football. I love it more than any other sport. But the Super Bowl just kind of bores me.

Last year, I was certain Pittsburgh would win even when Arizona was making big plays. And there’s always the sad feeling that there won’t be any more football for several months after the game ends.

Luckily, the spectacle of the official end of the NFL season is great in other respects. The commercials are always the most fun part. Horses do funny things in the service of beer companies, awesome movie trailers are premiered and Tim Tebow tries to tell us that abortions are bad. I mean, the poor guy needs to be remembered during a pro football game somehow.

The Saints may have taken the trophy. But, the real winner was—as always—Budweiser.

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Watch Super Bowl XLII

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