Some thoughts on yesterday's game...
I thought the opening segment with Lady Gaga and the tribute to the people killed in the car attack in New Orleans was well staged and thoughtful. Tom Cruise's cameo during the team introductions was underwhelming at best. The singing of America the Beautiful and the U.S. national anthem by local New Orleans artists were dignified and a lot less hawkish than I've seen at previous Super Bowls.
As far as the game itself, it was clear that Fox broadcast team was cheering on the Chiefs in the early going, but was forced to switch tone as the Eagles racked up the points. Tom Brady surprised me as the colour commentator, offering some good insights on some early penalties and generally providing solid information on what strategies both teams were employing. If he can learn to use the Telestrator properly and curb his tendency to talk too much, he could be a good analyst. As usual, Fox's halftime panel of experts featured too many guys all fighting to say something relevant and rapid while they waited for the Kendrick Lamar show to start. About that display, all I can say is "meh", but I'm clearly not the audience the league was targeting.
From what I could see, Trump was shown exactly once during the broadcast. Ditto Taylor Swift, who presumably had a lot less to be happy about. Journalists assigned to cover Trump indicate he left at some point during the 3rd quarter. Lots of shots of the other celebrities on hand (Costner, McCartney, Gaga and an extended thank you/kowtow to Fox boss Rupert Murdoch) were used to kill time between plays.
As for the Canadian commercials, the Timmies spot was tongue-in-cheek, especially since their claim of being "Canadian" is ridiculous in light of their ownership by U.S.-based Restaurant Brands International. A few other U.S. firms (notably Kraft/Heinz) attempted to wave the Maple Leaf by portraying their Canadian factories and touting their Canadian ingredients. My award for the most annoying spot would have to go to Wealthsimple, which featured a pitchman who's tone veered from condescending to hostile ("Hey you, yeah you. Don't you wanna add some real zeros to your portfolio? Are you a complete idiot or something? Look at me when I'm talking to you!"). I won't say anything about the Ontario election ads from the Conservatives and Liberals, other than that there were far less of them than I expected.
Overall, the game harkened back to the Super Bowls I watched with my dad during the 70s and 80s, with one team (the Eagles) clearly dominating from the start and the announcers fighting to keep things interesting with talk of last-minute comebacks and "don't-count-them-out" cheerleading. I'd be interested in seeing post-halftime viewing numbers to see if there was a significant drop in the audience when it was clear Philadelphia had things locked up.
EDIT - Check out this Super Bowl ad that appeared in Quebec from the disaster cleanup and restoration company Qualinet.
Last edited by BowmanvilleBob (February 10, 2025 8:37 am)