The Not so Stupid Super Bowl. There is anti-intellectualism in football and its crowd. This IS an anti-intellectual nation but that is a huge generality, of course. Football does ooze machoness, god, family and country complete with the Air Force spectacle, of all things, wasting taxpayer money by flying over the Bowl which seems ridiculous. What is this an international war? The Bowl is often garish, glitzy and gaudy. STILL, having said that I love football and I LOVED last night's particular game.
Why do I love football? I cannot BELIEVE the physical agility, strength and talent of those men. I marvel at nature's construct of the human body and how much punishment it can take IF it is young, male and in the prime of youth. But it is even more than that. The intellect behind the strategy, minutiae and the announcing of it is complex. I am amazed at people who know and understand it all. It is difficult, when the game is over, to recount all the individual plays, who did what well and who missed. I know the basics and sometimes what to expect on each play. There are surprises that will live forever, too, like coach Sean Peyton's prep and the execution of a rare onside kick, the first in Super Bowl history NOT in the fourth quarter, that turned the game around for the Saints. It was GREAT fun.
Moreover, I LOVED the commercial of Betty White in her 80's where she got creamed playing football with young big men in the mud until she ate a Snickers bar which gave her energy. Tears of laughter rolled down my eyes for a LONG time. It was just plain hilarious!
One more thing, it was a victory for the downtrodden city of New Orleans and for all those who have suffered beyond measure in that city. It was symbolic of and a metaphor for a city coming back. It was a testament to the resilience of those people who are an example of the nature of the country itself. This was a Cinderella game where the last finished first. Americans (including me) LOVED that. Americans are, at our heart, I believe, a goodhearted positive people. Moreover, the Saints are made up of decent men especially the quarterback Brees who gives of himself to charity all the time and Scott Fujita who is a humanitarian in his political views. All reasons, I think, to support the Saints.
So what, I cried at America the Beautiful sung exquisitely by the black woman Queen Latifa and the national anthem sung beautifully by the white woman Carrie Underwood. It was an amalgamation of black and white. Our country has, indeed, come a long way.
Even the anti-choice ad didn't bother me. It was small, it was quick and there were OTHER ads selling other things which, I thought, had some homosexual overtones. So kudos to CBS the thing I was the most critical of didn't amount to a hill of beans. I am an unabashed liberal and feminist but I allow myself to enjoy the staggering feats in football. I would LOVE to be so strong!
