Superbowl

[Phil O]

Pats, yeah!!!!!!!!

[James Steele]

Amazing finish!

[BKK-OZ]

I'm sticking with my prediction that the Packers are going to win.

[Michael Canavan]

Great game, unlike most people here, I'm not upset. The call to pass on 2nd down with a yard or so to go was whacky, but I think these guys do the best they can and they wanted to surprise the other team, and got surprised themselves.
It could have gone either way, but I have to admit the Patriots for the most part played a solid game, while we made incredible plays rather than had a more thought out strategy. Arm chair quarterback stuff I know, but hey.

[James Steele]

The decision to pass was bizarre indeed. Seahawks were given a gift with that lucky reception that got them down there. To compound the mistakes, the offside penalty gave Brady the room he needed to kneel down and run out the clock. What truly bothered me was the unseemly fisticuffs near the end. I know emotions are strong in those situations, but I couldn't help think of young kids watching who might play Pop Warner, etc and the poor example it was.

[Phil O]

What truly bothered me was the unseemly fisticuffs near the end. I know emotions are strong in those situations, but I couldn't help think of young kids watching who might play Pop Warner, etc and the poor example it was.

Agreed.

[SixStringGeek]

What truly bothered me was the unseemly fisticuffs near the end.

Yeah, it was almost like a pro hockey game for a minute there.

As a hardcore Broncos fan, my favorite part of the game was the montage of Seahawks player's faces right after the final interception. The crushed hopes. The disbelief. That made me really happy after all their trash talk on how they beat the Broncos after last year's game. Smelled like justice to me.

On another note...

I was pretty blown away at the halftime show. I don't really care for Katy Perry but I have to give em props for the energy and spectacle of it all. Which leaves me wondering - how long does it take to design and build a show like that? I learned that most of the costumed trees and orb carriers and such were local Arizona college students from the marching band (working for no pay no less!) and they only started rehearsing a couple weeks ago. But the crazy chess board projections on the stage floor and all the rest - I'm curious how long it takes to design, build, and rehearse something like that.

[twistedtom]

I was going to say that about a hockey game 6 string.
The football fans at MOTU may be happy.

[Michael Canavan]

As a hardcore Broncos fan, my favorite part of the game was the montage of Seahawks player's faces right after the final interception. The crushed hopes. The disbelief. That made me really happy after all their trash talk on how they beat the Broncos after last year's game. Smelled like justice to me.

I played football in high school, generally like the sport, but I will never completely get the whole provincialism aspect of it. All these players are rarely from the state, let alone city they get hired to play for, the civic pride part is silly to me, for fun, not to be getting Schadenfreude over. Being originally from SF might be part of why I don't get it, I was working down there last year when we knocked them out of the play offs, and people were so hateful about the whole thing.

I think the Patriots played at least as good as we did, but a bunch of my friends are all mad about the pass at the end, and calling the Patriots cheaters etc. If there was funny business with the balls in the game before I'm sure that the players weren't in on it, and they beat us fair and square, kind of silly to say that a team cheated to get to play you, and then beat you fair and square.

Mostly they were able to make first downs against our defense, that was impressive.

[BKK-OZ]

...I will never completely get the whole provincialism aspect of it. All these players are rarely from the state, let alone city they get hired to play for, the civic pride part is silly to me...

'You are basically rooting for the clothes...'

Seinfeld routine on loyalty in sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WSD6Y2YWj4

[James Steele]

...I will never completely get the whole provincialism aspect of it. All these players are rarely from the state, let alone city they get hired to play for, the civic pride part is silly to me...

'You are basically rooting for the clothes...'

Seinfeld routine on loyalty in sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WSD6Y2YWj4

True enough, but maybe it's just random odds, but most teams have a couple of people who might have had some roots in the city they play for. On top of it, whether because the NFL encourages/requires it, or they're just upstanding citizens, many of the players donate time to the community on blood drives, or appearances at school, Boys/Girls Clubs, etc. So the community tends to rally around their "home team."

[SixStringGeek]

I will never completely get the whole provincialism aspect of it.

FWIW, I lived in Denver for the entire 90's. My GF, OTOH, she just likes Peyton Manning. She watched the Colts until he ended up in Denver. Then our interests aligned and we started watching football together.

[Shooshie]

Deleted! Shouldn't have opened that can of worms!

[James Steele]

I just enjoy watching the game.

[Michael Canavan]

I just enjoy watching the game.

This.
I played football in middle and high school, it was fun, some jock mentality stuff is annoying but name an activity where there isn't some character that makes it less fun by their fanaticism?

I do wish it was more than a handful of supergroups that can sell out the sorts of venues that sports is played in, but I guess you could say that if you include all the odd minor sports leagues and varieties of game then it's similar.