Staggering

New poll: this one’s focuses on the first über-hyped game of the college football season, but it’ll be up until next Thursday.

Meanwhile, we’re just in Week One of the NFL season and there’s already significant Super Bowl news.

NBC will take its turn on the broadcasting wheel this year for the NFL’s championship game in Tampa, Florida. Earlier today, the Peacock proudly announced that not only have they already sold 80% of their advertising inventory for the game, but they have “a dozen or so advertisers” who purchased 30-second spots for $3 million.

Three. Million. Dollars.

$100,000 per second.

That’s about a month’s rent in Beacon Hill or Daly City, right?

In all seriousness, it’s an absolutely staggering figure that hopefully receives its own in-depth analysis within the advertising and marketing trade media. The asking price has grown each year for a milieu of reasons, yet there is no denying how $3 million became the latest threshold.

Last year, the writer’s strike put broadcast networks at a standstill. Reruns and reality television were not desired avenues for companies to promote their goods and services. Though viewers gravitated towards cable programming in droves, those paid channels do not command the audiences that broadcast networks can offer.

Just as real estate in your nearby up-and-coming neighborhood, there were few prime spots in a weakened economy. Those few bastions of advertising potential turned out to be live sports. Live sports are considered DVR-proof as viewers are less likely to fast-forward through ads or record games for later viewing. In the States, the television events with the biggest audiences are typically sporting events; notably baseball and basketball games featuring the highest-profiled teams, players and/or markets and NFL games because of a short season with dedicated days for action.

The Super Bowl XLII broadcaster, FOX, knew that any event with a huge national audience had to make up for the lack of scripted fare. The network decided to increase the price of a 30-second ad to upwards of $2.7 million, a 15% increase from the year before.

If you know a competitor was able to pry $2.7 million from a vendor for essentially the same service, wouldn’t you consider boosting the price?

Though this is less about the pigskin – after all, no one has even played two regular season games in September yet – you wonder if the reason behind NBC’s eagerness to boast about its Super Bowl buys has to do with their success in broadcasting the Beijing Olympics a couple of weeks ago.

Smile

Been an interesting first post-Super Bowl week, hasn't it?

The writers and producers are finally working something out (thank goodness! Please send those desperation 'reality TV' ideas back to the trash heap).

Super Tuesday has managed to bring up more questions than answers (and create a wider pool of undecided and apathetic voters than anyone cares to acknowledge).

Athletes denying steroid use to Congress and Congress spending tax dollars to investigate such use (recession be damned).

Athletes denying being involved with cockfighting in the Dominican Republic (where it is legal, no matter how much many disapprove).

Giants 'fans' believing in Eli Manning and Patriots 'fans' calling the 2007 season a complete failure.

Hey, look! Mercury Morris found a camera. Wonderful.

This may seem like just another week in the world and you might be right. Instead of getting down in the doldrums, smile at what were (in Scribe's opinion, of course) the best commercials from Sunday's Super Bowl.

Oh, sure. Everyone and their godmother has an opinion on what were the best commercials. However, considering the other profession I have and my purist nature regarding the NFL title game, these two ads exemplified what those $3 million spots were supposed to do; cleverly sell a product and/or serve as a reminder of a brand.

Since YouTube is being a little funny with the custom player, enjoy these gems.



Say What?!?!: Coming to a new baseball stadium near you (or me): Martinis. Martinis?!?! At least let there be more offerings than hot dogs.

Gigantic

Horrendous commercials. Great football game.

That's what Super Sunday is supposed to be about.

It'll be nice to say that I'll cover the Super Bowl champs next season.

Now, can everyone that considers him or herself a Giants fan lay off of Eli Manning? In fact, don't give me this "I knew it all along". You didn't. Please don't lie to yourself, the true Giants fans and that girl you've tried to talk to all night.

David Tyree! What can you say?

Remember the name Steve Smith. The one from USC. The one who caught passes in seven of New York's scoring drives in the playoffs.

Kawika Mitchell, who played out of his natural middle linebacker position to come to the Giants, is about to get a big pay raise. One year, $1 million seems like such a pittiance.

Justin Tuck is for real. Ask Tom Brady.

Lawrence Tynes won't get killed by Tom Coughlin, after all.

Coughlin, himself, should be recognized for being one of the best tactical coaches in the league. Has been for years, whether it was RIT, Boston College, Jacksonville or here with Big Blue.

Jeremy Shockey will be a man possessed next season, even if he has a ring now.

That Giants defense will be the copycat template General Managers use this offseason.

Will Tiki Barber be the grand marshall of Tuesday's parade? Looking forward to seeing that.

While I wouldn't call this game an upset in terms of man for man, coach for coach, roster for roster, in historical context, it's the biggest in league history.

As for Patriots fans. Disappointment is understandable, to say the least. However, the team will be back strong next season. With a couple of defensive tweaks.

Don't fall in love with history unless it's relevant.

Wes Welker is still the truth.

Randy Moss will have another shot at a ring and it will be as a Patriot.

It's time for the braintrust in Foxborough to address the aging middle of the defense in the Draft. Picking safety Brandon Merriweather last April was a start.

These Pats would have still KILLED the '72 Dolphins. But, now we have to endure Mercury Morris.

And now... onward to the NBA. And the rest of life.

Letter

An abridged version originally published on BlogCritics Magazine (blogcritics.org)

Dear NFL Patriots Giants Nielsen family Fans,

On Sunday, millions upon millions of Americans (and beyond) will take part in the unofficial national holiday called Super Sunday. The day, as you know, revolves around the biggest single-day televised event of the year, Super Bowl XLII. Besides the fact that this is the championship game of the National Football League, the Super Bowl is a social cauldron, if you will. The game huddles more people into homes across the country for one night than any major holiday, regardless of race, creed or income. The build up to the event is lengthy, but at 6:18 PM eastern standard time, the two weeks of hype and hope will culminate to what we hope is a game for the ages. There’s just one problem.

Some of you folks just don’t belong.

From the middle of the summer to the dead of the winter, football players, coaches, media and fans have prepared for this final night of action. For each team, there was training camp, four preseason games and sixteen regular season contests. Yet, the fans have prepared throughout the season as well. They follow the teams from the festive opening weekend to the final whistle of Week 17. When December becomes January, twelve teams embark into the second season; the league’s playoffs. These players and coaches are not only rewarded with the chance to become champions, but are redeemed for hard work and adversity from injuries and losing streaks to unexpected tragedies as the death of a teammate. When the playoffs begin, the football faithful are treated with four playoff games in each of January’s first weekends. Seemingly before we blink, twelve teams become eight and eight become four. These final four teams play for the conference championships and garner the attention of anyone that considers him or herself a NFL fan.

And then the NFC Championship Game ends.

The moment the winning team accepts the conference title, the hype machine begins. In addition to two weeks of over-analysis and jitters, there is a flood of news regarding everything that surrounds the game. The most talked about news revolves around which company will have a commercial during the game. And that’s most likely why some of you ‘fans’ are here. You don’t normally watch football unless one of the following occurs;
a) your significant other is hoarding the remote
b) your kids are hoarding the remote
c) you want to know who the heck is Tom Brady and why is TMZ talking about him (another letter for another day)

As much as most of us – this writer included – would rather that the reason you would come to our homes because you’re good company, we know better. We know that you are going to join us for Super Sunday because you want to see what Budweiser has to show us and you want free food. And that’s okay… to a point. On behalf of the football fans that have spent the last twenty weekends rearranging plans with the family, skipping out of church early or sacrificing a Friday night or two working overtime instead of on the weekend, we have some advice in order for you to have a hand in the fun.

There are plenty of you who come to the Super Bowl gatherings in order to eat someone else’s food. Maybe you didn’t get their fixes during the holidays or maybe you’re excusing yourself from dieting for one night, we don’t really know. Yet, we ask that if you are going to stock up food in your belly for ten full battalions that you at least donate something. More food or beverages would be great. Your dollars would be even better. Even a ‘thank you’ card in the mail would be a sign of appreciation. Yet, we ask that you remember that you do not treat our abodes like your own home; treat them like the White House. Be neat, be clean and please flush.

Some of you are here against your will. You might not like football because the person you are with is borderline-crazy about the game. Contrary to what you might think, you¹re still welcome. After all, someone has to take that drunken Patriots fan friend/relative/lover home. But we want you to enjoy yourself. There is likely a sane football fan in the room that you can talk to who would be a good sounding board to understand not only what is going on in the game, but why people care so much in the first place. You may become a fan or you may still hate the game. Yet you will have a deeper understanding for one of the country’s great passions. However, the rules for food apply to you as well. Do not eat because you’re bored; eat because you’re hungry.

There are those of you who are coming because it’s the biggest event of the year and you love football. The problem is that you don’t know a lick about the game and we know it. Now, we’re not asking you to name the offensive linemen of the 1958 Baltimore Colts. We’re not asking you how many Super Bowl rings John Madden won as a player (ZERO!) and we’re not asking about your fantasy team (which someone made for you, we bet). We are going to ask you to pick up a book to learn a bit more about the game before you step inside. Hey, there are a ton of fans that don’t have a clue either, so they can brush up on their knowledge. However, would you rather look like the smartest person in the room because you know four-yard completions help an offense move down the field or be embarrassed for screaming about ‘too many men on the field’… during warm-ups? There are few things more infuriating to any sports fan than the casual or non-fan who wants to puff his or her chest to fit in. Just as anything in life, learn the basics and let the rest come to you. Ask about what you are seeing and remember that football is about more than scoring points.

Finally, some of you are here for the 30-second commercials for which companies paid $3 million to air. You might be even more excited for them this year, given that the current writers¹ strike has compelled many of these companies to invest more money in these spots. We like the commercials as well, even though most ads do a poor job of selling the brands and products they are supposed to advertise. Commercials, themselves, have become entertainment, with kooky scenarios likened to sitcoms and some of your favorite celebrities lending their images and voices for dramatic effect. The ads may provide some laughs, but if you are still looking for entertainment because the ongoing writer’s strike has halted your favorite shows, look no further than the Super Bowl itself. The game is reality TV, drama, suspense and in some respects, comedy, all rolled into one. None of us know if the game will be good (Steelers/Seahawks, 2006), great (Titans/Rams, 2000) or horrendous (Broncos/Falcons, 1999). However, just like the last episode of The Sopranos, we fans tune in anyway just to see what happens. Still, if you¹re here just for the commercials, please understand that you shouldn¹t tie these ads to how good or bad the game is. Furthermore, the ads, as the games, may likely fail to live up to whatever hype non-sports media has built. Please focus on the game and not the newest version of Terry Tate.

There are only two things in life that unify people; death and the Super Bowl. While the former is rather depressing, the latter should be something for all of us to enjoy without feeling as if the game doesn’t matter. As much as we want the Patriots and Giants to give us a great battle, we understand that this is an event that can’t be missed. We know that the following Monday will be devoted to talking about the night before. We hope it’s for the right reasons and not because some car company thought a suicidal robot was funny… again.

Sincerely,
The Super Bowl Hosts

Wager

You might find the hype and reaching-for-something stories surrounding Super Bowl XLII insufferable. You might find that killing time until the game arrives is painfully difficult. You may think that Media Week is the worst time of the year in sports. And you wonder if TMZ, People and all of the gossip media types will make a pitstop in Roswell, NM en route to Glendale, AZ... or pray that they do.

What you have to love about the lull before the title game are the friendly wagers between the home states of the participants. While no word has come from government officials in any New England state or the NYC metro area, there is this fun tidbit to enjoy.

Just imagine if Theo Epstein or Brian Cashman - or better yet, John Henry or one of the Steinbrenners - had done something as these minor-league GMs are willing to do. Sure, it's the minors, but this is a small scale version of Mark Cuban's exploits a few years back.

I love it!

Reminder

I'll be on the air as usual for WHCR today.

An in-depth talk about the Giants' push for Super Bowl XLII. Next stop, Green Bay.

What's Going On begins at 3PM where Stephanie Stepp is live from Foxborough to talk about the AFC Championship Game and I will discuss the NFC tilt.

myspace.com/whcr

whcr.org

90.3 FM WHCR; Harlem, New York City

Goal

Note: This was written on January 22, shortly after the AFC and NFC Conference Championships when both Tony Dungy (Colts) and Lovie Smith (Bears) became the first black head coaches to lead their teams to the Super Bowl.





For the first time, not only will there be a black head coach in the Super Bowl, but there will be two. And guess what?

I wish we didn't have to point it out.

Save your "Uncle Tom" and "hater" references for someone else. I'm not your typical sportswriter or fan. In fact, I'm probably a little more aware of the history of sports than most people. Aware that first and foremost, there is much more I can learn about the games and the world off the field, whether it was the days of Fritz Pollard or the rumblings of fleet-footed Maurice Jones-Drew. For anyone to call themselves a true fan and a true scribe, they must acknowledge what has existed before you, with you and what will come after you. I am also aware of the slow progress of fellow minorities in this business as well as society at large. Being the lightweight, lightskinned, black kid from Castle Hill projects that 'talked white' forced me to be a little more keen and studious of the history of the world; doing a bit more than pondering how the hell I ended up in the projects in the first place. I digress…

Until I got to high school, I never gave a thought about coaches in sports. The only coaches I knew about were the ones that coached my favorite teams. Walsh & Seifert, Riley & Van Gundy, Cox, Keenan for a couple of years. Great or at least good coaches in their own right who knew what it took to win championships through building a team that believed in the unified goal of winning (or trying to win) the final postseason games. As each person who is writing or thinking about the historic accomplishment, I was a kid who despite knowing that minorities were not holding the majority of management and coaching positions, only cared about the men and women playing the games I loved. However, when Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy (very good friends off the field) coached their teams into Super Bowl XLI, the prevailing thought I had was not "this is unbelievable".

I thought about a recent job interview.

I was asked by the interviewer questions that I thought were a bit pervasive. Nothing illegal or illicit, but questions I never expected to be asked in order to get a job. While I am an alumnus of the Bronx High School of Science, I am proud to be an alumnus of Babson College. Top faculty, intensive academics, proximity to Boston and for the most part, I have been blessed to have lived and worked with good-natured people despite the competitiveness of the business world. Yet, as pointed out by some white friends of mine, Babson is quite possibly the whitest college in the land. WASP-y, phenomenally affluent and as many bastions of education, slowly building an ethnically diverse student body. Very slowly, but trying to do so, nonetheless. The interviewer asked me why I didn't consider attending a historically black college (HBCU). I recall arguing with a few folks from high school about not applying to one, saying that while there are some top-notch schools such as Morehouse in the ranks, the most important factors for my choice had absolutely nothing to do with my skin color. As naïve as that sounds to folks, it's the truth to this day. I told the gentleman the truth; I wanted to go to a school not too far from home and I wanted to go to what is the true source of power in this country. While minorities are certainly capable of wielding economic power equal to our white brethren, the reality is that this is yet to be the case. Having been a football player in his youth, my dad gave me a nugget of wisdom; before you change the game, you have to know how to play it first. That last line was the reason why I chose Babson. It's why I have taken this winding road towards my professional career, personal happiness and the overall benefit for those that stand with me.

What does that have to do with Smith and Dungy? The same that is has to do with Herm Edwards, Romeo Crennel, Marvin Lewis and now, Mike Tomlin. The same for Ozzie Newsome, Rick Smith and now Jerry Reese. Each man wanted to be judged by their merits, having been through the trenches as former players. Each man wanted to be respected for their prowess as their coaching, teaching, scouting and managing records have shown to their peers and players. Each man wanted as fair of a shot as the next man. I would argue as many of us minorities participating in society that at the end of the day, these men did not want to be acknowledged as a black coach or general manager. Even the controversial Bob Johnson may rather be recognized as a businessman and the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats as opposed to being the first black majority owner in North American sports history. The same goes for Arte Moreno (Anaheim Angels); to be more than the first Latino majority owner. Each of these men climbed the ranks in sports being well aware of the barriers on management and ownership. They could play, but they can't run the business? Just plain retarded. How did they respond? They hustled. They observed. They waited patiently, but never rested on their laurels or waited for an uproar. They kept hustling and observing. They believed that eventually, they would be taken for their merit, even if they had to politick. They knew that whether asked or not, they were carrying a mantle for those to follow and those who are watching. They wanted to be their own men, not having been denoted as the 'first'. Period. And just as in my own life, they knew that not every white person would stiff-arm them from their goal. My dad would have said they learned how to play the game. Just as one of the few regular black sportswriters in New York City is trying to do.

In his press conference after toppling the Saints, Smith said, "it would feel even better to be the first African-American coach to hold up the world championship trophy." While this is guaranteed come February 4th, I'm going to continue to wait for the first day that we don't have to recognize anything but our merit.