That’s not to say that this year’s game was hard to sit through; XLV was very engaging - thrilling because the belief that it could go either way was sustained for much of the game. Of course, in retrospect that feeling of ‘you just can’t call it’ (more often the BS of sports commentators trying to keep their audience rather than a reflection of the game) is downplayed and the fumbles on the Steelers’ side become the main focus:
Pittsburgh turned over the ball three times, and all three miscues were followed by Green Bay touchdowns. The Packers didn't give it up once, allowing them to prevail when they were outgained (387-338 in total yards), had the ball nearly 7 minutes less than the Steelers and barely mustered a running game (50 yards on just 13 carries).The Steelers touchdown 39 seconds before half time snapped you to attention, and into anticipation for the second half. Action kept coming out of nowhere, or at least in the moments when expectation for action had come off the boil. That’s until towards the end, when expectations became constantly poised, tense and agonising. With seven and a half minutes to go there were three points between the teams. Wearing headphones the incredible crowd noise coming from the Steelers fans was filling my ears; properly demonstrating its intended purpose of screwing up the Packers’ lines of communication as the plays crept towards the end zone.
I watched the BBC’s live stream of the game online (more fool me, trying to play spot the ball amongst intermittent video compression artefacts). It is fun watching the BBC as they try to anticipate the start of the commercials, or cut back in time for the resumption of game play (they consistently fail in the latter). What they can’t do much about is Fox’s in-commentary acknowledgement of the sponsors (the Bud Light Cam - giving you those incredible, up-close-and-personal shots of the players), or the promise of a Glee episode and Fox’s in-depth analysis of the game to follow. Oddly the Beeb didn’t seek to correct those announcements - no explanatory captions or announcers. During those authentic Fox moments it was nice to imagine that you were spending an evening on a sofa in the States. ‘Don’t go anywhere, folks’ …would that I didn't have to.
Jake Humphrey presented the BBC commentary segments that occupied the ad breaks. He would greet you from the game and then prompt former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber and football pundit Mike Carlson to give their explanations and opinions. Humphrey is of the Richard Bacon’s Beer & Pizza Club school of MAN TV, all matey bonhomie and jocular ribbing. He introduced Barber as ‘a man who we’ll send round to yours if you start dropping off, and it won’t take him long to get there either.’ The lean, mean, supposedly television audience-pummelling machine didn’t know where to look. Once they got going, Barber and Carlson offered an un-patronising and enthusiastic translation of the game for people who may only get to see American football through the Super Bowl.
The next morning (for those who slept and missed the game) Christina Aguilera made even the British news for fluffing the lines to the US National Anthem. Yes, and the Blackpool Illuminations Eyed Peas set was a bit style over substance too. Quite honestly, though, I found it less painful than watching The Who struggle to keep it together during the abrupt transitions and unfamiliar edits in their songs last year.
Chin up, people. We might get Soulja Boy for 2012.
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