Super Bowl Review

Hi Kari:

How was the game received in your part of America?

The game itself was quite something. I heard the 1st quarter punting contest on radio. We celebrated my nephew's birthday and did our share of watching The Two Towers on DVD. My nephew (12) and neice (9) are fans. But eventually, we tuned to the game and caught the dramatic fourth quarter.

My feeling is that even if Kasey didn't boot the kickoff out of bounds and the Pats had to start on their own 20, Brady and company would have found a way to get in field goal range and the end result would have been the same. What do you think?

Being in Los Angeles, I really didn't have a dog in this hunt though I rooted for the Panthers since they were the underdogs and indeed they did a great job. I figured if they could get over the initial nerves without turning it over or having big breakdowns defensively early in the game, they would be competitive and indeed were they ever.

On ESPN radio, the guys were saying prior to the game that Brady may one day achieve Montana like status as the cool QB under fire. Well, I think his performance has added another line into that resume.

How are people reacting to the other stuff?

I did not see the halftime show though I've seen replays of the umm, revealing moment?

Honestly, over the years, I have not watched the halftime show. My musical tastes just don't go there. Nonetheless, I find my conservative instincts clashing with my libertarian instincts about questions of public morality and the halftime show incident.

On one hand, I am leary of the heavy hand of government regulating various aspects of life. On the other hand, I feel there should be some modest standard of public decency.

It is one thing for consenting adults to decide they want to sit down and watch Sex in the City on HBO. There is obviously an audience for that kind of show and the libertarian in me says go ahead and make that show since you can make money off of it. As for me, I'm not watching because, one, I don't have cable and two, if I had cable I'd be watch in ESPN, Fox Sports, CNN/MSNBC/FoxNews, CSPAN, History and endless re-runs of Star Trek.

However, it is another thing when an event is watched by kids. The Super Bowl is broadcast on the public airwaves and is a de facto national family holiday.

Some are saying, they see that stuff all the time so what's the big deal?

Yes, stuff like that is around, do we want MORE of it?

It is one thing for people to freely go look for that kind of stuff, it is another to foist it on unsuspecting people.

So what is the answer?

Is the free market the best way?

In the future, parent's who love football and care about their kids shut off the TV for the halftime show and do something else for a while? Will that hit in the pocketbook of the advertisers and broadcasters be enough to modify their behavior?

Or is this an occasion for goverment regulation in the form of fines?

Rene