Funny that this post was about the music and the game... and 95% of the posts don't even mention the game AT ALL. And then some of you complain about THE MEDIA making a big deal about the halftime nonsense ... all the while you're doing the same thing. Some of you guys call yourselves football fans???

1/ The crapola...

I can understand some of the public backlash of the halftime crap (more dumbing down of the culture), but it's no less insidious (IMO) than most primetime fare like "Friends" (lame), or MTV (more lameness), and MOST of the crap (overt violence or sexuality, when used without any meaningful plot reasons, simply for shock value) on TV. I'm not saying you don't have the right to watch that sorta stuff... just that there's a TON of it out there already, and not that inspiring for younger viewers. I just think you got this backlash from many parents of kids that don't let em watch much TV, and are more perturbed at how violence & sex is forced down their young kids throats against the values they're trying to impart to their kids. BTW, where are the NOW libbers, who used to get upset at the culture implication that assult is OK if it's "cute"... fine message for the kids who don't know any better. And we wonder why grammer school kids use the F-word.

The whole sexualization of prepubescent kids in our culture today is a little disturbing... and sadly, I don't have much in the way of insight or answers for it. Having said that, most football commercials are overtly sexy (Coors beer twins, etc), and this type of lame/sexy popular music is the norm today. I also see heaps of irony in Tagliabue professing outrage at the halftime show. In a sport where steroids, strutting, borderline humiliation, drugs, sex, criminal activity (Panthers), are all such a huge part of the sport, it sounded a pretty funny.

But why anyone would watch the so-called "entertainment" is beyond me. I watched a little of ESPN's pregame discussions at 11AM, but I didn't turn the TV on till kickoff at 6:30. I've been watching local weekly breakdown shows of the Patriots games since September, and I was more interested in The GAME than anything else. I didn't watch ANY of the halftime nonsense live.

Musically, what I saw in the replays was really shallow. Old tunes, and I heard much was lip-synched... TOTALLY unacceptable IMO. Fakers. That's the best we can do America today? Our culture is seen throughout the world for the superbowl, and that's the best those stupid CBS/MTV suits can come up with? Anyone remember the great PBS Blues series last year? Why not do a show that unites some of those classic oldtimer musicians and the new Blues generation... could have been spectacular IMHO. It never ceases to amaze me how most corporate types in the media etc are so tone-deaf to what's original or good. Or how they target everything at the teen market demographic, even though it was a minor part of that audience. It's gotta be the Peter Principal at work.

2/ Now, about the game... enough on the stupid "entertainment"...

I've followed the Pats since the 70's. For those that haven't seen the Pats much, that's exactly the type of game they've played most every week this season. Early lead... looks like they're the better team, yet the other team makes a run at the end... and the Pats are forced to make a furious last minute charge to pull it out of the fire. It's the type of season few fans ever get to enjoy, and it's been a long time coming.... finally a season where most breaks goe your way, and when they don't you still get another chance to redeem yourself. It's also special because we lost so many starters to injury this year, more than any other NFL team, yet still persevered.

I thought the zebra's were pretty good... don't think it effected the outcome anyway. Same with the Panther's decision to go for 2 pts... I thought it was an OK decision... but ya gotta use an "outta the box"play, and make it. Considering the Pats missed 2 "gimme" field goals, gave up a FG on a stupid squib kick before halftime(!), lost Rodney Harrison to injury (broken arm) which resulted in an 85yd TD by Carolina, and blew an easy 3 or 7pts with the intercept in the endzone near the end... I was glad the Pats came out on top -- would'a been a long offseason had they lost knowing they blew all those points (23). Altogether, a great game, with a couple of superbowl records (37pts in the 4'th Q!)

Did anyone see the replay tape of the streaker? Was on our local Boston sports show. Funny as hell... a near-naked dancin' & prancin' fool making an ass of himself... finally someone ran out to get him before Matt Chatham of the Pats drilled him to the ground with a nice body blow...BAM. I think the players were hardly in the mood for such nonsense at that point. What's hard to understand is how he got access to the field... lots of reporters with official credentials were totally barred from the lower field. And why'd it take so long for anyone to react to it?

We SHOULD be stronger next year, with the draft picks and players coming back from injury. But football rarely goes according to hoyle... and that's partly why it's such a great game. Congrats Pats... congrats Panthers.