Tailgate Food for Thought
“They’re the throws that, in some way, represent a larger theme or tendency that helps explain how Brady and the Patriots have been able to stay this good for this long.” No matter what happens on Sunday, Tom Brady has cemented his legacy as (perhaps) the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Here’s a look at the ten throws that define Tom Brady.
+ Not content to watch from the couch? Here’s the $400,000 way to do the Super Bowl.
+ What goes on during the brief time between plays (while you’re running to the fridge)? From the Boston Globe: 40 Frantic Seconds.
+ “In the huddle, at the pinnacle of do-or-die tension, Montana turns to tackle Harris Barton and asks a crucial question: ‘Hey, in the stands, sitting next to the exit ramp — isn’t that John Candy?'” (That’s long been my favorite Super Bowl story.) Here are a few untold stories from Super Bowls past.
+ OK, I made it this far into an edition without any Trump news. But the truth is that these days, almost all news is Trump news. The Super Bowl, one would think, offers a brief respite. Well, think again. The game, the commercials, the halftime show, and the 1.5 million people who will be packed into the stadium … everything on Super Bowl Sunday will be Trump-infused; starting with the Patriots. From the NYT’s Mark Leibovich: The Uncomfortable Love Affair Between Donald Trump and the New England Patriots: “New England, which will appear in an NFL-record ninth Super Bowl on Sunday, is a team that wins so much that a lot of America has become, yes, bored of its winning. And no small number of fans are convinced that the Patriots (like Trump) achieve their victories through dubious means and wish they would just go away and get off their TVs forever.”
+ The networks try to keep politics out of the commercials. As you might imagine, that’s harder this year, when everything is political. From Sapna Maheshwari in the NYT: Challenge for Super Bowl Commercials: Not Taking Sides, Politically.
+ “That kid that couldn’t get a seat at the cool kids’ table, and that kid that was kicked out of the house because his mom and dad didn’t accept him for who he was? That kid is going to have the stage for 13 minutes.” Lady Gaga says her halftime show will be all about inclusion. (Looking back, even Left Shark was political.)
