I thought I’d strike while the iron is hot with a DHD follow-up to the Super Bowl. You’ll notice half of my “nuggets” involve the popular commercials that most people prefer to watch over the game.
- Commercial Condensation
First of all, I was impressed with the overall presentation of the 61 unique ads that were shown during the Super Bowl broadcast. I shared my concern in last week’s DHD that the NFL should consider having more family-friendly ads during the Super Bowl in order to improve its reputation.
With more commercials emphasizing dads over beer, I’d say that alone is well above my expectations. I’ll give positives and negatives about the Super Bowl ads in the next two “nuggets.”
- Positive Promotions
McDonald’s, Snickers and the Budweiser puppy were three of the commercials I found favorable. McDonald’s basically giving back to customers by having them do “acts of kindness.” Snickers spoofing the Brady Bunch, and yes, the cute puppy makes it back home with help of his Clydesdale friends “shooing” away a mean wolf.
Dove, Toyota and Nissan inspired the relationships of Dads and children. Another Toyota ad and a Microsoft ad used inspirational themes by featuring people with prosthetic legs. Coke encouraged positive language on the internet, and Always challenged viewers to think about the phrases we use, emphasizing ones that demean girls.
The one that made me think the most was the one titled “Listen” that emphasized the No More domestic violence campaign. I had to re-watch it to catch the woman giving a cryptic message to the 911 operator. It definitely gave a powerful message.
- Adverse advertisements
The ones I did not find favorable were T-Mobile’s ad with Kim Kardashian flaunting her body, Victoria Secret’s, Turbo Tax’s Boston Tea Party and the Ted 2 movie commercial. The Fiat commercial with the old man losing his “blue pill”… all I can say to that one is “Good grief.”
The Nationwide ad showing the kid dying early was a major downer too. The Loctite ad and the “Om” commercial with Jeff Bridges were just plain weird.
Overall though, it was a pretty tame slate, given this is a secular event. As I said, it gave a reflection that the NFL is making a conscientious effort to have more positive messages.
- The play of the game
The play that won it for the Patriots is one that will be remembered forever. Defensive back Malcolm Butler snagging the Russell Wilson pass at the goal line was amazing. The rookie’s impressive INT surpasses the unbelievable catch by Seattle wide receiver Jermaine Kearse that was two plays earlier. Also, Butler well surpasses other well-known defensive backs when it comes to doing interviews.
I join the many who questioned Seattle’s play calling at that pivotal moment. With some time to think about it, though it was not as crucial, the Seahawks faced another gutsy move before halftime. Instead of taking the conservative route of settling for a field goal in the final seconds, Head Coach Pete Carroll rolled the figurative dice, went for the touchdown and struck gold. Instead of being down four points, Seattle knotted the game at intermission and took the lead early in the third quarter.
All of this to say, the difference between being the goat and the hero has a miniscule criteria.
A friend recently posted: “It is always the person not in the predicament who knows what ought to have been done in it.” -Charles Dickens
- Russell Wilson shows character in loss
I’ve shared how I am impressed with Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson. He boldly professes his Christian faith. He also demonstrates good sportsmanship and character when he loses.
“For me, I keep my head up though,” said Wilson. “I know that I prepare and I know I get ready. I know I play my heart out and I know the rest of the guys play their heart out. So when you do that, you can’t worry about it too much. You just have to focus on what you can do to keep everybody together in terms of mentally and spiritually with it, and just keep staying after it.”
- The demise of ‘Deflate-gate’?
Now that the New England Patriots are Super Bowl champions, what will become of their fate involving “Deflate-gate”? From the looks of things, most have given the Pats a pass. Perhaps it was “overblown.”
My guess is if the NFL does not make a statement about the Patriots’ footballs within a week, this will be swept under the rug. Our fickle society may not think any more about it.
However, from an overall operation aspect, my guess is the Patriots will be under the proverbial microscope for a long time. It may be over for now, but only time will tell if this issue comes back to haunt them.