The Super Bowl is always one of America's biggest events, but is it becoming the biggest?
by Andrew Powell | Miami SPORTS & Lifestyle
Incredible.
Classic.
HISTORY.
Just a
few words I could use to explain the Super Bowl that we witnessed last Sunday
night.
There
were so many storylines before, during and after the game, so where do I start?
First
off, the media coverage for the Super Bowl was a little ridiculous. So many
predictions and guesses to “keys” and outcomes, the interviews back to back to
back, and the same questions being asked over and over and over again. I turn
on ESPN on Friday and what do I see on the side bar?
“Patriots
ready for battle”
“Marquee
matchup”
“Brady
vs. Legion of Boom"
“Seahawks
game plan”
“Wilson
and Lynch key for Seattle”
And all
of that analysis wouldn’t be annoying to hear if it wasn’t the same thing every
day for two weeks straight. There’s only so many ways you can cover a game, and
best believe the media tried to use every way they could. I love the Super
Bowl, it’s a beautiful time in sports, but the build up to this game is
ridiculous. I even tweeted before the game kicked off, “I wish they’d hurry up
and kick the ball off. The build up to this game is a little ridiculous…”
I was
drained, ready for some football, and ready to hear and see some actual news
besides every “expert” giving me the key to the game. Ultimately, it ended with
an interception at the 1, a play nobody saw coming. The talk is fun, but it can
become a little redundant, which then becomes annoying, and nobody can become
stimulated by that…right?
Wrong.
I’m actually in the minority here. People just have to get their football fix.
NFL is KING. But I’ll get back to that a little bit later. I got some stuff to
talk about.
The media always analyzes the Super Bowl from head to toe for two weeks straight
I want
to get to this Pete Carroll play call.
Now last week, Pete was trying to explain his “logic” and how it was a
rational play. His explanation hit me like I was a brick wall; it bounced right
off of me. I didn’t care what the explanation was; you don’t pass the ball on
the 1 on 2nd down with the best running back in the league. I love
Pete Carroll, I’ve been a fan of him since his days at USC, but it was a
horrible play call. I’m not going to sit here and call him an “idiot” or a
“moron” unnecessarily like some other members of the media, but that call was
absolutely the DUMBEST in sports history. You don’t do that at all, let alone
in the SUPER BOWL. It was without a doubt the most horrendous call I’ve ever
seen.
Now
there’s a theory going around that Carroll changed the play call after
offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell called a running play because he wanted
Russell Wilson to get the Super Bowl MVP rather than Marshawn Lynch. The theory
comes from one anonymous Seahawks player who told Mike Silver from the NFL
Network this information.
The
story goes like this, and I took it from Dave Zirin from The Nation because he
explained it so perfectly:
“The
theory goes something like this: Russell Wilson is your young clean-cut
God-fearing media-perfect quarterback. If one was creating a superstar face to
market for the twenty-first century, chances are they would look, sound and
basically be Russell Wilson. He’s Derek Jeter with a Bible, someone who comes
across like he has never spoken out of turn in his entire life. Marshawn Lynch
is… Marshawn Lynch, and if you haven’t figured out what that means after the
past two weeks, then you haven’t been paying attention.
The
theory goes that there were major financial, public relations and football
reasons for Russell Wilson and not Lynch to be the one who ends the game in
glory. If he throws that touchdown for the victory, Wilson is almost certainly
the Super Bowl MVP. He gets the commercial. He gets to stand with the
commissioner. And oh, by the way, he also gets his new contract, one that will
fasten his prime, at only 26 years old, to the Seattle franchise. Marshawn
Lynch is also due a new contract. Marshawn Lynch, had he punched that ball over
the goal line, would probably get to be the one handed the MVP trophy. Marshawn
Lynch also maybe gets on the mic to say Lord knows what.”
Okay,
let’s stop right there. I mentioned earlier that I would get back to the “NFL
is KING” statement; it’ll be the same time that I get around to these
conspiracy theories. It's a whole other topic in itself.
But first, I want to
talk about Marshawn Lynch and this media storm that surrounds him.
Marshawn Lynch won Super Bowl week with constant media coverage and even his own commercial
A lot
of media members dislike Marshawn Lynch for all of the simple statements being
answered to every single question, yet the media goes back to get more. It’s
like they beg for Marshawn to do this, and then turn around and criticize him.
Technically, I’m considered a part of the media, and I love the guy! Why
criticize him? It’s hilarious!
NEWSFLASH:
MARSHAWN LYNCH DOESN’T LIKE TO TALK TO THE MEDIA
It’s really not that hard to see.
So why go back and get more simple answers just to rip him?
He’s already made it clear, and
you’re doing nothing but putting more money in his pockets while you’re sitting
on your couch watching him make Super Bowl commercials making fun of himself while you're drinking a beer while he wins his second Super Bowl ring if it wasn’t for
that play call. I love Marshawn Lynch. I love the whole “BEAST MODE”
phenomenon. “I’m ‘bout that action, BOSS!”, “I’m just here so I won’t get
fined.”, “You know why I’m here”. How could you not love that?
It’s just
amazing to me that you get criticized in 2015 for being yourself. Would you rather
Marshawn give generic answers like everybody else?
These Marshawn Lynch press
conferences don’t do anything but make media coverage more fun. Are your eyes
glued to the television screen when Marshawn comes on the screen?
Exactly.
If he wants to be left alone, just
leave him alone. That man does things on Sunday that the average human being
can’t do. Embrace that, don’t rip him for meaningless press conferences and the
“crotch grabbing” on the field. Some of the craziest stuff is said and done on
a weekly basis on that field from everybody on every team. Don’t single out
Marshawn just because he happens to be at a level of greatness that is hard to
attain.
Now before I get to the next topic
at hand, I just want to have a moment of silence for the dropped ball right
through the hands of Jermaine Kearse late in the third quarter. If he would have
made that catch, Seattle most likely would have had a three possession lead and
would have cruised to a Super Bowl repeat. That kid isn’t getting any sleep
this offseason at all.
Jermaine Kearse dropped a ball in the third quarter that could have led to a easy victory by the Seahawks
But anyways, on to this next topic:
I was comparing stats and accolades
between the greatest quarterbacks of all time: Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Dan
Marino, etc. because the debate has been on about who is the greatest of all
time. As you know, I cover Miami sports and I’m surrounded by Dolphins fans and
boy, did they let me have it when I tweeted that I thought that Tom Brady was
the GOAT. I mean, come on, I’m a Dolphins fan too, but I like to be realistic,
especially when it comes to facts. I’ve never been a delusional fan, and I’m
not going to start now no matter how much I love the Dolphins.
This is what you have to look at
for Tom Brady:
- Four Super Bowl Rings
- Three Super Bowl MVP’s
- Two Regular Season MVP’s
- Six AFC Championships
When you look at those statistics
right there, how can you sit there and tell me with a straight face that Tom
Brady isn’t the greatest of all time?
I love Dan Marino, but he doesn’t
even one have one ring on his resume. I’ve heard his name thrown around a lot
along with Joe Montana and Tom Brady. Montana is the only legit debate I see
when you compare the resume to Brady. Joe Montana also has four Super Bowls
(4-0), three Super Bowl MVP’s and two regular season MVP’s on his resume, but
the thing that separates Joe Montana and Tom Brady for me is the salary cap.
Back when Montana played, there
wasn’t a salary cap in the NFL. Edward DeBartolo, Jr. , the owner at the time
of the San Francisco 49ers, is best known for his free-spending years with the
franchise and for winning five Super Bowls, so Joe always had talent around him
with DeBartolo’s checkbook. Tom Brady made six and won four with a cap, where
every team in the NFL is equal. I’ve been debating this with people and even
myself for the past few days on who is the greatest of all time. It’s close,
but I do have Tom Brady with Joe Montana being second.
Tom Brady wins his fourth Super Bowl and third Super Bowl MVP
And I know Dolphins fans are really
going to hate me for this one, but can we please give the Patriots some props?
It’s just incredible what Tom Brady
and the Patriots organization have done. Cheaters or not, making six Super
Bowls and winning four of them is pretty impressive. They deal with all of the
media hoopla and the criticism and still overcome it all to win championships.
I don’t want to speak much on the Patriots, I’m not that big of a fan nor do I
have much respect for them, but I do want to give them a little props. The New
England Patriots have been one of sport’s greatest dynasties in the history of
any game, if not the greatest.
Now let’s get to what I was talking
about earlier, these conspiracy theories. I wanted to save this topic for last
because this one intrigues me the most. There are so many conspiracy theories
that surround the NFL, but let’s talk about the one that I mentioned earlier
about Pete Carroll making that play call because he wanted Russell Wilson to
win the Super Bowl MVP rather than Marshawn Lynch.
I was listening to Colin Cowherd
the other day and a member from the audience called in and was telling Colin
how the NFL is rigged. Colin just laughed it off and called him “crazy”, but is
it so crazy?
As far as the Pete Carroll theory,
I could definitely see that being true. When you take into account that column
from Dave Zirin and how dumb that play call was, how could you not consider
that theory?
When you also throw into the pot
the Vine of Marshawn Lynch laughing right after the interception in a cocky
way, how could you not think about the possibility?
Is the explanation that Pete
Carroll gave really true?
Or is the conspiracy that’s being
thrown around the real truth?
We’ll never know the full 100%
truth, but after all of the dark cloud news that I’ve heard surrounding the NFL
and how they’re a corrupt corporation who cares about nothing but money, why
would I put it past a NFL team to do that?
After a questionable Pete Carroll call, Malcolm Butler intercepts Russell Wilson to clinch the Super Bowl for the Patriots
You take Russell Wilson and you
build a brand out of him. A brand that’s friendly with sports fans, kids and
the mothers of the kids. You build a face of a franchise that is surrounded by
so much talent already and still is capable of building a dynasty. You win big,
and you cash in even bigger. I could definitely see Pete Carroll, owner Paul
Allen and GM John Schneider having a meeting sometime in the middle of the
season conspiring this genius plan, because it really is a genius plan. It
would have been even more genius if it would’ve worked. If it was true that is.
I could just imagine how Pete
Carroll was feeling before that play, knowing that he was about to repeat and
Russell Wilson was going to get the Super Bowl MVP. The plan that he had
conspired with Allen and Schneider was about to come true with a dream ending,
and those two in the suites just watching their dream becoming a reality. The visual
has become their reality.
And then the New England Patriots
intercept the ball, ending it all, and Tom Brady is the one holding up the
Super Bowl trophy, for a fourth time. Tom Brady is the one winning the Super
Bowl MVP, his third. Karma is a bleep.
To go from the feeling of “we’re
building a giant brand and are about to repeat as champions” to “oh no… It was
intercepted………..it’s over” had to be the worst feeling they’ve ever felt. Me,
myself, was sitting there watching the game rooting on the Seahawks. When that
ball was intercepted, I hated how I felt after I got over the initial shock of
what happened, so there’s no telling really how they felt. I still can’t get
Pete Carroll’s look on his face out of my mind.
Once again, the whole theory is
just that: A theory. But I could see it being true, and if it were true, that
play call makes perfect sense with genius intentions even though it’s pretty
cold to Marshawn Lynch. But hey, the NFL has made it very clear that this is a
business
Miko Grimes, wife of Brent Grimes (CB - Miami Dolphins), goes on a Twitter rant about the NFL's ways of business
And that brings me to a similar
topic, but an even bigger one that I’ve heard from so many people. I mean, the
amount of people is staggering that say:
“The NFL is rigged.”
Now I’m not sure if the NFL is
rigged, I’ve thought about it myself, but what I do know is that the NFL is a $10
billion a year business, and when something is that big and making that much
money, how could you not think about the possibility of it being manipulated
somehow?
I can understand the conspiracy
theories, but I personally don’t believe that the NFL is “rigged”. I’ve had
these debates for awhile now, and my response always is this: If the NFL is
rigged, why would the players constantly complain about how the league does
business and consistently grumble about the non-guaranteed money and the Thursday
night football games?
“Well, it’s all
for the media.”
“It’s all about the money and
players are getting paid under the table.”
“The Illuminati runs it for public
control and Roger Goodell is a ‘reptilian’.”
…
Those are just a few of the
responses that I’ve received, and look, I can understand the government
conspiracies and the whole Illuminati thing. I have a few theories myself when
it comes to how things are run in Washington and across the world, but to go as
far to say the NFL is rigged?
It’s understandable why somebody
would feel that way, considering the numbers and how popular the NFL is, but
there’s just so much that goes into it, and so many complaints from so many
different people besides players about how the NFL is run. You have a great
number of players that dedicate their lives from a young age through high
school and college to the NFL, and I’m pretty sure not every single player is
going to sign their lives away for money. Players want to WIN. I’m not going to
sit here like Colin did and call people crazy for their theories, I can
understand the questioning, but you have to look at both sides before you make
such a big statement like that.
To say something is rigged?
That’s a lot.
With MLB's popularity decreasing and the NCAA going through scrutiny, the NFL appears to be a king with no competition
What I know for sure is this: The NFL is
KING, and will remain king for a very long time, if not forever. By 2027, the
NFL has a goal of making $25 billion a year. The power and force that comes
along with a multi-billion dollar business is unprecedented, rarely seen by
even some of the most elite companies out there. The NFL has it. The popularity
is staggering, and only keeps increasing. Every game is on national television
affiliates, everybody is constantly looking for their next football fix.
That’s why we have the constant
theories and questions that surround the NFL. When something is this big and
powerful, it will always be questioned.
It’s been a week now since the
Super Bowl has happened, and people are still talking about all of the
headlines. There’s a thousand different topics each week
that get analyzed at every single pixel in the NFL. Personally, everything that
I’ve covered in this column, is absolutely stimulating to me. This league is so
entertaining, and the headlines make for the greatest entertainment.
Nobody has headlines like the NFL,
and nobody makes money like the NFL. Rigged or not, people are going to
constantly be interested in what’s going on in this league, always looking for
that fix. The NFL has a season of games, but it’s an all year around sport to
many people.
It rules America, and is spreading
across the world, popularity increasing at dramatic levels. The NFL is king.
Why else would I be asked to do an article about the NFL a week after the Super
Bowl?
The NFL, man. Everybody and their
mama cares from every different kind of family. It’s crazy.
See you guys next season.
And hang in there, Miami fans.
The future is nothing but pure
stimulation when it comes to the NFL, no matter what team you’re a fan of, and
I didn’t even get to talk about everything that I wanted. This column is LONG…as
I’m sure you agree. But that’s the NFL.
So much stimulation.
Like I said earlier, see you guys
next season.
I know I will.
No matter how much your team loses,
no matter how much you think it’s rigged.
I know I will.
And by the way, this Super Bowl had
the highest ratings in the history of any U.S. broadcast.
Do I need to say it again?
The NFL is KING.
It’s one of the most powerful
empires we’ve seen since Caesar, but this one has no end in sight.
None at all.
--
Andrew Powell is the owner/founder of Miami SPORTS & Lifestyle. He is also the editor, a sports writer and opinionated columnist. He is featured on Miami SPORTS & Lifestyle Radio. You can follow him on Twitter
@andrewrpowell.
