I don't pay as much attention to sports as I used to, for two reasons: Our nation is in crisis, and I am deeply concerned about the future. I must make an effort every day to focus more on my own self-improvement and helping others rather than grousing about politics. The second reason is that sports, which used to be an escape from the toxicity and stupidity of politics, now marinates in politics.
It was great news when I read that viewership for the 2020 NBA Finals was only about 35 percent what it was in 2019, and the regular season ratings have suffered, too. Millions of people are fed up with the Black Lives Matter pandering and excessive PC. (Not to mention, many are repulsed by the NBA's cozy relationship with Communist China.) Ratings are also down for football, baseball and hockey.
But today is Super Bowl Sunday, and as everyone knows, the Super Bowl is more of a cultural phenomenon than a championship game. Millions of non-football fans or lukewarm fans will watch part of all of the game and be highly interested in the vaunted commercials, which in my opinion often are downright stupid and grossly overrated. In the past, Super Bowl parties were commonplace, but in the COVID era, I'm not so sure they will proliferate.
The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs are favored by 3 points. I heard a sports talk radio dude say the other day that Vegas was reporting something like 70 percent of the bets were on the Chiefs. (If that's the case, why hasn't the point spread increased. Guess I don't know enough about gambling to figure this one out.)
This will be the first time ever that a team (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) will play a Super Bowl in its home stadium. But due to COVID restrictions on crowd sizes (social distancing is necessary in stadiums, of course), the crowd for Tampa Bay will be much smaller than the stadium's capacity. The dorky cardboard cutout fans will populate the seats, though (what an idiotic idea; who came up with it?)
I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Tom Brady will win his seventh Super Bowl in a close, exciting game. Let's make it 37-35 Bucs. Brady was able to win two playoff games against excellent teams on the road (New Orleans and Green Bay), defeating top-notch quarterbacks Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. He has excellent running backs and receivers (including another former New England Patriot, the great tight end Rob Gronkowski).
But I am picking Tampa Bay for the same reason I went against the grain and picked the New York Giants over New England in Super Bowl 46 (Feb. 5, 2012) and the Philadelphia Eagles over New England in Super Bowl 52 (Feb. 4, 2018): An excellent defensive line.
Make no mistake, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is fantastic and dynamic. A strong arm, great accuracy, and he's a super fast runner whenever he wants to take off. He's also a great guy; never appears arrogant or full of himself. He's one of my all-time favorite players. Given time, he will pick apart Tampa Bay's secondary. But I think the Buccaneers' defensive line can rush and harass him frequently.
Defensive end Ndamukong Suh, first drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2010, remains one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time. Either double-team this wrecking ball, or pay a heavy price. Jason Pierre-Paul, the other defensive end, is also a well-respected veteran and was a part of that 2012 Giants Super Bowl team. And then there's former MSU Spartan William Gholston, who is enjoying a successful NFL career.
Two of Kansas City's stellar offensive tackles, Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, are injured and won't play. This is a bad time to be without two starting offensive linemen. On a personal note, there's a starting O-lineman for the Chiefs who went to my high school: Midland High School in Midland, Mich.: Andrew Wylie. Matter of fact, I worked with someone (he's now retired) who is close friends with Andrew's father!
I don't know much about Tampa Bay's head coach, but I like Andy Reid, the Chief's head coach. He's a good guy who spent a dozen years as a successful coach in Philadelphia before joining the Chiefs a few years ago. I've always felt some empathy for him because his son died of a heroin overdose in 2012, and that's a crushing loss that would destroy most people. It's a testimony to Reid's strong Mormon faith and the loving support of his family -- his wife, two daughters and two sons -- that Reid has continued to prosper.
If this game is as entertaining as the conference championship games (especially Tampa Bay at Green Bay) two weeks ago, it will be thoroughly enjoyable. I won't pay close attention; I'll probably be chatting on the phone with a friend, reading a few things online, swilling some brews and enjoying Jet's Pizza. Couldn't do this regularly or I'd weight 300 lbs., but once a year won't kill me.
May the best team win, and may Bread 'n' circuses remain with us to the end of days...
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