Well they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night

Yesterday was spent coping with the inevitable post-Super Bowl comedown. Well, not really. While I didn't particularly want to get out of bed that's more to do with it being a day that ended in "y" than any guilt/remorse/sadness or the all-around bummer that is the end of professional football season. Nevertheless, I'm sure there was some lard ass struggling with that realization. But I'm sure John Madden will pull through because he has the heart of a champion and is a winner.

I never have understood why/how the Super Bowl became viewed as our civilization's defining cultural moment. Which, of course, it's not, but for some reason the media feels the need to treat it as such. I fully realize, as did P. Diddy all those years ago, that it's all about the Benjamins. Every year news outlets eagerly report how much a 30-second ad goes for during the telecast and how much more Super Bowl tickets are this year than last. Tut-tutting as if this is some sad indication of our gilded age. Admittedly, this has a bit more resonance in today's economy but still rings a bit hollow. Those same organizations always fail to mention how much money their particular outlet is spending for their own version of the hype. Hardly a surprise.

This is not to say that the powers that be don't get a heck of a return on their investment.

When otherwise content folks who don't know the difference between a hand off and a pass are eager to watch the game simply because they think they're supposed to, you know you're in the presence of genius marketing. Oh, the horror of not being able to high-five one's bud when that team does well whatever it is that team does well. Or of catching a washed-up rocker(s) attempt to remain relevant and, more to the point, plug their latest reminder that he/she/they haven't put out anything remotely interesting in 20+ years. Yes, I'm calling The Boss, The Stones, Macca, Tom Petty, et al. washed up. The Super Bowl halftime show has become little more than an acceptable Las Vegas for 'rebellious' rockers. Not that anyone, least of all me, really cares. Actually, Up With People has never fully recovered but other than that, nope, I'm certain no one really cares. I digress.

It's all very big and important simply because it's supposed to be. I'm not entirely sure at what point the mythology of THE SUPER BOWL overtook the actual game, but the game itself is secondary to the concept.

But if those successes weren't impressive enough, there's the genius of convincing viewers that commercials, normally a nuisance to be ignored, are, for this one night, the actual show. Of all the scams pulled by Madison Avenue, this must surely be the greatest. While one's buds may forgive missing that amazing catch/hit/kick/penalty, missing that latest, clever beer commercial in which some hopeless dolt/smoking hot babe/adorable animal does something totally, yet hilariously, out of character is practically a capital offense the following morning. True, by the mid-morning smoke break more important issues--that pesky Pinsky file, an untied shoe or the stupidity of standing outside in 30F to puff on a cancer log--have replaced discussion of whether or not that horse actually did swim/fly/shoot that dude for a ice cold refreshing beverage or, perhaps, a job. But until then, it's all terribly crucial to our very survival as a nation. Really.

I have no real point in all of this; that probably doesn't make this post a whole lot different from previous ones. It's not like I spent Sunday night reading Proust and reflecting on the enigma that is Life. Though I didn't have much of an interest in either team (Tech ties notwithstanding), I did watch most of the 2nd half and have no regrets in so doing. It was quite a good game and since it will probably ultimately become the single most important event in our nation's history, I'm maybe even a little glad to have viewed it. I'm always eager to answer the door when history comes a callin'.

Come to think of it, I can't say that I've ever regretted watching anything. I regretted not watching Cop Rock but that's another story for another time.