Thoughts on the Super Bowl
You know you are old when your son was born during the first Super Bowl. It was January 15, 1967. Green Bay beat Kansas City 35-10. January 15 is also Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday. Back in those days you did not know the sex of the baby. My son had the good timing to be born at halftime so I did not miss a play. You were not allowed in the delivery room and when the doctor walked into the waiting room, I said “Is it a boy or a girl?” He said “Tell me the score first.” “14-10 Green Bay.”” It’s a boy.”
At least it is easy to remember how old he is. Just subtract one from the Super Bowl number.
The MVP of the first game was Bart Starr. Green Bay had 10 players who were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Kansas City had four players although arguments can be made for Otis Taylor, Ed Budde, Jim Tyrer, Mike Garrett and Fred “The Hammer” Williamson.
The halftime show was Grambling’s marching band. The Anaheim High School flag team and Al Hirt.
We’ve come a long way?
You know you are old if you hated the Super Bowl halftime show.
I actually could not take it and retreated into a friend’s kitchen to talk to him about Lady Vol’s basketball. I take back what I said when Tennessee fired Kellie Harper and hired Kim Caldwell. Caldwell has infused energy back into the program and although the Lady Vol’s are plagued by a series of close losses, the future looks bright.
We were guests of that dear friend and his wife along with three other couples. The food was outstanding and more than compensated for the game and halftime.
But back to the Super Bowl.
I had never heard of Kendrick Lamar.
Trump was at the game and this was the NFLs way of telling Trump what it thought of his slashing of DEI. Roger Goodell had said earlier that diversity would continue to be a priority for the league.
Was it because of Trump that the “End Racism” lettering was missing from the end zones? Instead “It takes all of us” and “Choose Love” were in the end zone. Some players had “Choose Love” on the back of their helmets. I am sure Jordan Love was flattered.
Who are the NFL audience anyway – a bunch of young black kids with tattoos and baggy pants?
Must be unless white folk really do like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
Of course earlier Super Bowl halftimes had Usher, Rihanna and somebody called Big Boi.
I guess Bruno Mars, Beyonce and Chris Brown are too old school.
I did see Shaboozey in a commercial and thought about how he and Kane Brown might have been an interesting halftime choice.
However, they even play rap/hip hop very loudly before and during the Georgia football games and all the young white kids are bopping up and down and singing along.
Although the biggest reaction at Georgia’s sing along was to Twisted Sister’s “We are not gonna take it” which of course is how I felt during Kendrick Lamar’s performance.
What was really disappointing is that the game was played in New Orleans and did not feature that city’s vibrant music scene. For us old folk, I would have loved seeing a tribute to the Neville Brothers and Dr John. I could even give them a pass if the hip hop/rappers were from New Orleans like Lil Wayne and Mannie Fresh. Better yet why didn’t they showcase the wide variety of music in the city with its blues, hip hop, Zydeco, jazz and bluegrass? Way to drop the ball NFL.
A disappointing halftime.
A disappointing game – unless you were an Eagles fan. At least we didn’t get shown Taylor Swift after each Kansas City play. Was Travis Kelce even playing?
For me this Super Bowl failed on all fronts.
haroldblackphd.com 