AMERICA hasn’t slept for weeks in anticipation of this year’s Superbowl final which finally got underway last night.
It was billed as The People’s Superbowl, largely because it featured the New Orleans Saints – the team from the legendary home of the blues, a city which is still in recovery from the devastating Hurricane Katrina which ruthlessly ripped the place apart in 2005.
The Saints did, indeed, go marching on last night as they triumphed over their hugely favoured rivals, the Indianapolis Colts – willed on, seemingly, by the entire country. America loves an underdog almost as much as a hotdog, after all.
“This was a victory for all America,” one worryingly over-excited Saints fan screamed at a CBS news-crew after the win. “A victory of triumph over adversity.”
No-one can begrudge New Orleans that sentiment, that moment of glory after death and devastation punctuated every choking breath of recovery The Big Easy seemed to take in the aftermath of Katrina.
But……let’s take a brief look beyond the veneer of this script – one that will clearly become a Hollywood movie long before decency should allow it – for just one, sober moment shall we?
Today, as the sun rises and cleaners move into New Orleans’ French Quarter to mop up after last night’s David V Goliath Superbowl victory celebrations what do you think is the most talked about Superbowl moment?
Was it that poetic winning touchdown, the dramatic turn of events as the Saints, for one short year, symbolised the entire American spirit of ‘never say die’? Was it?
Err, no, actually. It wasn’t. Nowhere near.
Katrina was horrifying and horrendous. Moreover, undeserved. It was nature at its most unpredictable - vicious, violent and merciless. America and the rest of the world sat open-mouthed as news streams beamed pictures into our homes of the biblical devastation of this proud city.
But put a search into Google News today for ‘‘Superbowl 2010′ and what are most Americans talking about?
Answer - a Superbowl-themed advert during a game-break which featured talk show hosts Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman.
I kid you not.
The American dream eh?
Never miss the opportunity to make a buck. It’s a great lesson to teach the kids isn’t it?
By Adam Moss, Brazen News Editor
