For 2015, Glendale, Ariz. hosts Super Bowl XLIX and, unlike in years past, caps off a season of controversial calls, wife beaters, a dog mishandlers quasi-redemption and, oh, yes, the NFL’s very first openly gay player. Sam he is. But if you want to chop through the thicket of information screaming for your attention on every possible platform, San Diego LGBT Weekly and her sister affiliates have stitched together a pastiche of critical bullet points. A roadmap of what to look for – should you want or even need one – concerning an event that has come to dominate our national psyche in the same way that futebol dominates the national psyche of, say, Brazil. This year Super Bowl XLIX has a great half-time line-up, an investment of some seriously beaucoup advertising dollars, a Doritos DIY ad campaign firmly rooted in millennial sensibilities and, as of the writing of this article, a few possible scenarios about how the remaining four teams may play out.
So sit back in whatever reclines and let us take you there, now, before others have had a chance to Monday morning quarterback the whole thing after the game is over.
Advertising
Sucks to be you, Mr. and Mrs. Advertiser. Adverting rates are soaring – hello $4,000,000-per-30-seconds of airtime – at the same time the Super Bowl ad’s luster is fading. Gone is the ‘wazzzz up’ excitement of yesteryear when watching the game meant catching some of the most creative 30- and 60-second spots on television. The advertising thrust this year? Get excited but not too, too excited. Lots of brands return, while others debut. Pepsi returns as the Super Bowl Preshow lead-in and Mercedes creates a sequel to last year’s well-received “Soul” debut. The ad is 49 seconds shorter, clocking in at 60-seconds, and once again stars Usher, Kate Upton and Willem Dafoe. First-timer advertisers include Mophie (battery chargers), Carnival and Skittles. And depending on who’s playing, and your level of interest in XLIX, you can always catch all of the spots the next day on YouTube.
Doritos starring you!
Maybe you watch the commercials because you like watching commercials. But some of you may simply be hoping to direct the next BMW “Star” series of commercials, inspired as you were by Guy Ritchie. Well, if you miss this year’s deadline which is only six days away, you can always plan for their ninth year of DIY, fan-driven videos. Check out one sample from former submissions here. [Disclaimer: The last names are not some random coincidence.] Not only do you get one million clams, you get to do something big in Hollywood with a studio contract. So why are you still reading this? Go! Film! You have a high-definition movie camera app on your phone!
The Half-Time Show: Lenny, meet Katy. Katy, Lenny.
You don’t very often get invited to a free, mini-supermini rock concert featuring Katy Perry and special guest-star Lenny Kravitz but this year for XLIX you do and you have. These two huge icons of their respective genres will dazzle a global audience from Glendale, Ariz. with Perry headlining. Originally, the megastar Perry had planned on performing solo. But then she invited Kravitz who wisely accepted. They are widely expected to perform “American Woman” among their many, many hits.
The game
Oh, yes. That. Because, as of this writing, four teams are still vying for two berths, LGBT Weekly gives you a highly concentrated glass of prognostication. Four teams remain: The Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts. Seattle is favored to beat Green Bay with a reasonable +7.5 spread for Green Bay. But given Seattle’s home field advantage – and its record of losses on their own turf – twice in the last three years! – It’s unlikely that Green Bay will pull off an upset. Carnage, some argue, is possible.
Quarterbacks Tom Brady (Patriots) and Andrew Luck (Colts) are driving the buzz between favored New England and the risk-adverse Colts. But the real buzz is how far the ball will be passed. And if that’s the question between these two widely diverse teams, New England will carry the ball about 30 percent farther based upon a statistical matchup comparing the teams’ offensive and defensive records this season. (Update: Watching the Colts’ shellacking by New England on Sunday was like watching one of the most lopsided defeats in NFL history. Oh, that’s right. It was! (The other, most -lopsided win took place in 1940 when the Chicago Bears massacred the Washington Redskins 73-0 during the National Football League Championship Game.) Meanwhile, with less than four minutes remaining, the Seattle Seahawks came from behind against the Green Bay Packers to score 16 points and push the game into OT where they made their decisive win. Seattle now has some bragging rights making them the first defending champions to return to the Super Bowl in 10 years.)
So let’s say we’re right and it ends up being New England and Seattle (which it will be). Then what’s next? Whether or not New England’s defense is better than Seattle’s offense? Remember, though, Seattle is the second team with a rushing touchdown, passing touchdown, an interception and a kickoff return touchdown in a Super Bowl. (It was the Ravens at XXXV.) But as one Pats fan put on the popular forum PatFans.com: “Seattle would be tough. They look like the better team right now and what people aren’t talking about so much is Russell Wilson. I can’t stand the guy … but I could just see it killing our offense once we get them into 3rd and longs and 2nd and longs and he just finds a way to scramble for the first. We’d have to have speedster Jamie Collins spy on him the entire game and stopping the run would be the most important thing.” You’re hired.
All things being equal, our best guess is Seattle over New England with a three point spread.
The venue
It’s hot in Arizona but Feb. 1 it’s as if the gods conspired to produce perfect football weather. Expect dry conditions and calm winds with highs in the mid-60s. And expect a lot of rah-rahism from host city Glendale which hopes to rightfully enrich their coffers with a seamless exhibition of cordiality and order befitting a host city. Expected attendance? Up to 750,000 fans, stars and others. This year, host city Glendale and Phoenix will be concentrating their efforts on single sites for NFL Central, the NFL House and the NFL experience, to be all hosted in downtown Phoenix along the once central corridor.
At times, it seemed like there was almost as much buzz off the field as on but for one day for about three-plus hours, approximately 110 million will forget their travails and watch the biggest televised event of the year. NFL Super Bowl XLIX
New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, Feb. 1, 3:30 p.m. on NBC
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Hey, guys — I know we gays aren’t known for our sports knowledge, but just simple math told me that Superbowl XIII couldn’t have been in 1940. The game you’re talking about did happen then, but it was called the NFL Championship. The Superbowl titles didn’t come along until the late 60s. And Superbowl XIII happened in 1979. Thank goodness for Google, or I wouldn’t have known any of this.
Clinton,
You are correct, the Bears vs. the Redskins blowout in 1940 was played during the NFL Championship game. The Superbowl began in 1966. Super Bowl XIII happened in 1978. I have corrected it in the above story. Thank you for spotting that. – Ed.