Quiet down, I can’t hear the commercials!
With Super Bowl Sunday only a few days away, people are making plans and reserving spots on couches across the country. Pigs in a blanket will be pulled from the oven, hot wings will take parties by storm and pizzas of all sizes will be eaten ferociously.
While some fans may actually tape the game, most won’t care about the final score. The real excitement comes during the time-outs between quarters.
This is the time when the largest U.S. corporations show their ads to the public. The Super Bowl is the most widely viewed program every year. It’s no surprise that fans are more excited by humorous ads than game-breaking plays. Ask anyone. Most people probably couldn’t tell you last year’s MVP, Deion Branch, but who could forget the FedEx/Kinko’s ad with the dancing bear and Burt Reynolds getting kicked in the groin?
Last year, Terrell Owens’ fast recovery from a broken leg was a headline, but not as big as the Bud Light and Pepsi spots.
Every year, Super Bowl commercial slots get more and more pricey. Is the juice worth the squeeze? Maybe. There has been some pretty lame ones in the past: godaddy.com and mLife.
That doesn’t change the fact that these companies are paying some big money.
According to an article on cnnmoney.com, 30-second slots for this year’s game are selling for $2.5 million to $2.6 million. That is a lot of change, considering people probably won’t remember the product.
Any other day of the year, commercials are annoying and too long: It’s call for a channel change. But during the Super Bowl, fans can’t get enough of them.
I still plan to watch the game. I would be a pretty weird guy if I didn’t. But I won’t be as excited by the plays as I will to see who will turn out the funniest commercial during a TV timeout.
I hope the game is fast-paced and entertaining. After what happened to Carson Palmer in the playoffs, I hope the Steelers lose by 30.
I hope that Shaun Alexander scores four touchdowns: two rushing and two receiving. I want to see him do two dances, one in the end zone and another on Bill Cowher’s creepy mustache. But if he doesn’t, will it matter? Of course not.
There is a handful of people in town who care about either team. The Seahawk faithful will want to see the club finally win a title. Steeler fans, with their Terrible Towels, want to see Jerome Bettis at the top. This is surprising considering this season, he had something like 100 carries, nine touchdowns and 12 yards. OK, so it was 368.
I wouldn’t be surprised if hundreds of locals “TiVo” the game and fast-forward right to the commercials. On Monday, not even half the people will remember the score, but nobody can forget a pilot jumping out of a plane for a six-pack.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum