89 Comments
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Jon A. Blongewicz's avatar

Agree completely, Joe. But Hot takes are rather easy to avoid. Stay of Twitter/X; don't listen to sports talk radio; don't watch those daytime ESPN shows which are nothing but Hot takes. You don't need any of these things, Joe.

Rick G.'s avatar

This was the Seahawks' fourth Super Bowl, but the first my wife and I got to watch with our son (he was in college and grad school during the prior ones). Plus, it was "The One Night We Get to Eat in the Living Room", my granddaughters' favorite holiday. Plus, the Seahawks not only won, but never made me sweat. So, yes, it was joyful, in exactly the sense that all those "Why I Love Baseball" anecdotes are. Those games were Sundays in the sunshine and I rarely hear anyone complain that the score wasn't close or even if their team didn't win. Sorry if it didn't meet your expectations, but it was perfect for us.

Bill Dibble's avatar

Everyone should read this and not just sports fans!

JT's avatar

No it wouldn't.

Um. Yes it would.

I'm so confused.

Matthew Sever's avatar

beautiful as always Joe❤️

Ray Charbonneau's avatar

See also: Hall of Fame

John Dick's avatar

Most people here in Seattle thought it was a great Super Bowl. As for the half time show and a variety of other topics covered, if you are offended or think you might be offended, don't watch. In this day and age you can record an event like the Super Bowl and then fast forward the replay through the parts that don't interest you. In the interest of full disclosure I just watched the game and half time show and tuned out most of the commercials.

Ron H's avatar

I watched the Super Bowl, the first NFL game I’ve watched this year. Mostly because of the Seahawks, I’m not a big fan, but I live in a Northwest and was hoping they’d win. But in recent years, there’s been many times I haven’t watched the Super Bowl at all, but I really have enjoyed some of the commercials which I have watched online after the game. This year, I thought the commercials were really subpar. They were a whole bunch of AI commercials. What a joke. Most of the commercials I just didn’t have the jazz the humor, but a lot of them have had in the past. I mean Doritos almost always used to have a fantastic commercial or two and they’ve obviously pulled out.

The game was OK not great. I left how about midway in the fourth quarter when it looked like it was over so I could go watch some Olympic stuff.

John Dick's avatar

Loved your remarks about the commercials. AI at present is the lazy way out. Similar to CGI in movies. When the commercial/movie gets tuck for a creative idea, someone will just say "Let's show in some AI/CGi. It will look cool."

Ron H's avatar

Well yes that too. But my AI commercial comments were really about the 3-4 AI companies that showed with their AI you could call in sick to work, get all your work done, create most awesome apps on the company computer system, get more work done than the rest of the office- and then in your off time, create a time travel machine that also takes you to anywhere in the universe instantly, heals all sickness, poverty, and environmental problems. Why, use our AI software and you can do anything you want- almost instantly and with no effort. What's not to like!

Matt Baron's avatar

No argument here: I agree with the point of view that it's really concerning and somewhat sad that so many celebrities endorse gambling so wholeheartedly. I remember being stunned when I saw Drew Brees doing it a few years ago... it was for a few minutes but then I haven't seen it lately. Does he do it anymore? He seems to have such a squeaky clean image and the fact that he was getting behind it felt like a tipping point of legitimizing something that's so destructive for so many.

Then again--- I suppose the same can be said about alcohol and all sorts of other things. Let's argue about it.

Crypto SaaSquatch (Artist FKA)'s avatar

Has no place. Has that ship sailed?

If so, ‘sin tax’ seems appropriate. Cigarettes, etc. 50% seems appropriate for something so corrosive and delegitimizing.

And looooord have mercy. Losses should never EVER qualify for a ‘deduction’.

Ron H's avatar

And as if he needed the money!

Paul Thune's avatar

I'm not ready to celebrate (nor will I ever be) guys grabbing their crotch and girls grinding their backsides against young men on a televised event watched by millions of kids. This is not a hot take, just a reasonable one.

Crypto SaaSquatch (Artist FKA)'s avatar

“ … You're playing so cool Obeying every rule …

Deep way down in your heart

You're burning, yearning for some … Somebody to tell you

That life ain't passing you by …

I'm trying to tell you

It will if you don't even tryyyy

You'll get by if you'd only …”

Ryan's avatar

Very well said. I could not agree more. Thanks again.

Dave Ziegler's avatar

If there was a pill that would allow you to see the other side of the argument through the other person’s eyes, would we take it or do we just enjoy the fight too much to give it up?

lonnie burstein's avatar

I rarely watch the Super Bowl, or any football for that matter, decided to watch this year. Obviously I picked the wrong game to come back to. Awful.

Joe M's avatar

In Ball Four, Jim Bouton wrote that, if there was a pill that would guarantee 20 wins in a season but take five years off your life, every pitcher would take it.

Kenneth J Kowalski's avatar

Yes, curling! Bocce on ice!

You can objectively determine who wins. If there is a doubt, they measure objectively. No subjective judging before we know who the winner is.

Richard S's avatar

That's my Rule for determining if something is a Sport.

"A Sport is a competition between teams or individuals based on physical skill *that produces an objective result*."

SLaff's avatar

Which of course means there are very, very few sports. Seems like any sport with a referee would not count.

Richard S's avatar

Referees are there to make sure the rules of the sport are followed.

Lou Proctor's avatar

So boxing *is* a sport when there is a knockout, but is *not* a sport when there is a decision?

Richard S's avatar

Boxing is one of those that gets grandfathered in.

Kenneth J Kowalski's avatar

Exactly! I regularly try to convince my wife and daughters of this truism, but to no avail.