Super Sunday Arrives Again

When did Super Bowl Sunday become a national holiday? Certainly not in 1967 when the dorky sounding Super Bowl was born. I mean come on, the AFL was second rate back then. To the surprise of no one, the Packers won big. I was just a kid, but I still remember the post-game press conference with Vince Lombardi being goaded into admitting that AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs couldn't compete in the NFL.
I suppose the 4th of July celebration in 1777 didn't amount to much either.
But give us Americans a reason to celebrate and by God we'll take it. The best holidays involve widespread drinking starting early in the day. And in a dreary month like February, who doesn't want that?
As I write these important thoughts, I haven't had my first one yet, but hey, it's only 9:30 in the morning. I'll get started soon enough.
The real turning point for the Super Bowl, as we all know, came in 1969 when Joe Namath's brash prediction of victory for his New York Jets came true. In that instant, the AFL established its legitimacy and boy did we start paying attention. The television ratings ascended, corporations dished out crazy money for ads and in a few short years, the Super Bowl became an American institution. Never mind that most of the games were blowouts. The game was secondary to the function of the Super Bowl: giving America an excuse to drink like crazy.
As the NFL has evolved into an increasingly corporate entity, their leadership sometimes slips and refers to the games as their "product". Nothing like turning a national pastime into another kind of widget.
This year we get The Who at halftime. But you knew that already, having been exposed to the relentless pregame build-up for two weeks.
Speaking of The Who, did you know that the NFL is claiming a trademark on the expression "Who Dat". Seriously. They have been serving cease and desist orders on New Orleans t-shirt shops selling shirts with the express "Who Dat", claiming that they're infringing on the NFL's exclusive right to market New Orleans Saints (and every other teams) stuff. As an attorney, I know a stretch when I see one, and it doesn't take an attorney to identify the distinctive aroma of such pathetic bullshit.
Not that I consider the NFL an evil empire---the fact is, they raise money for many worthy causes and they generate a very entertaining, uh, product. I really hope this years game between the Saints (the perennial loser Saints!) and the Colts is a doozie. And that I'm still awake at the end.