What you witnessed last night if you watched the Super Bowl was a healthy sign for the NFL--the beginning of the end of the B&B run of terror.
Brady and Bilichick, the Batman and Robbin tandem of do anything--including bending the rules to win--took a hit last night, one long overdue. To be sure, the League has it's problems, not the least of which are falling attendance and viewer numbers (According to reports we've seen today, viewership hit an eight year low for the lastest SB event.).
The concussion and kneeling down dilemmas are another problem, over exposure with NFL junk television on all year round. Moreover, the preliminary thrust to expand outside the U.S. is, in our view, another sign of over-saturation. But the game itself has problems. Bad or certainly confusing calls and interpretation of the rules is another thorn much bigger than many, including those in the front office, realize.
The so-called promise of video reviews and replays is the game's version of ying and yang, bringing with it many unintended consequences. In last night's game near the end, a pass was thrown by the Eagles into the end zone where the Patriot defender clearly with both hand pushed the intended receiver way before the already in flight ball got there. If that was not interference, Big Bill Belichick doesn't try to commandeer the sideline signals of other teams.
Those who argue such big games should not be decided by a penalty miss the point. It's about consistency. Change the rules then. Annouced the referees will enforce the rules for, say, three and a half quarters and then anything goes. Or why have any rules at all? This is not a problem isolated to the NFL. College football has similar problems. Missed calls, incorrect calls or none at all. A panoply of lousy decisions by a cadre of so-called experts. It's enough to make you want to not trust a Federal Reserve economist.
Another statistic we espied before the game, one apparent survey claimed only 16 percent of those fans asked wanted the Patriots to win. More powerful owners like Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones is hardly what the league needs, either. Strong arming taxpayer funds, from many of whom don't even know what a football is, to pay for elaborate stadiums remains another. Blame greedy politicians in part for this one.
One other point, SB advertisements. Many viewers from what we've heard tune in mostly for the ads not the game. That too--given this year's pathetic progressive PC crop--also seems in decline. Perhaps the most ridiculous was Budweiser's "We're here when you need us."
SB 52 in the annals.
Brady and Bilichick, the Batman and Robbin tandem of do anything--including bending the rules to win--took a hit last night, one long overdue. To be sure, the League has it's problems, not the least of which are falling attendance and viewer numbers (According to reports we've seen today, viewership hit an eight year low for the lastest SB event.).
The concussion and kneeling down dilemmas are another problem, over exposure with NFL junk television on all year round. Moreover, the preliminary thrust to expand outside the U.S. is, in our view, another sign of over-saturation. But the game itself has problems. Bad or certainly confusing calls and interpretation of the rules is another thorn much bigger than many, including those in the front office, realize.
The so-called promise of video reviews and replays is the game's version of ying and yang, bringing with it many unintended consequences. In last night's game near the end, a pass was thrown by the Eagles into the end zone where the Patriot defender clearly with both hand pushed the intended receiver way before the already in flight ball got there. If that was not interference, Big Bill Belichick doesn't try to commandeer the sideline signals of other teams.
Those who argue such big games should not be decided by a penalty miss the point. It's about consistency. Change the rules then. Annouced the referees will enforce the rules for, say, three and a half quarters and then anything goes. Or why have any rules at all? This is not a problem isolated to the NFL. College football has similar problems. Missed calls, incorrect calls or none at all. A panoply of lousy decisions by a cadre of so-called experts. It's enough to make you want to not trust a Federal Reserve economist.
Another statistic we espied before the game, one apparent survey claimed only 16 percent of those fans asked wanted the Patriots to win. More powerful owners like Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones is hardly what the league needs, either. Strong arming taxpayer funds, from many of whom don't even know what a football is, to pay for elaborate stadiums remains another. Blame greedy politicians in part for this one.
One other point, SB advertisements. Many viewers from what we've heard tune in mostly for the ads not the game. That too--given this year's pathetic progressive PC crop--also seems in decline. Perhaps the most ridiculous was Budweiser's "We're here when you need us."
SB 52 in the annals.
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