After pulsating throughout Super Bowl XLII, several things stuck out from the supposed blowout. The entertaining $2 million, 30-second bits that came every five minutes were evident, of course. The irksome Giants frontline that forced Tom Brady to do his best Eli Manning impression we all saw, though in theory, it was an impression of Manning’s formerly dispersed alter-ego. Perhaps the most riveting part of Super Bowl XLII though was what “America, the beautiful” loves and covets — the upset, the underdog.
The exhilarating 17-14 upset of the then 18-0 New England Patriots left the sporting world in awe. Although many picked the Giants to pull off the historic upset, no one could’ve seen the flat-out domination of a team destined for the record books. The most-watched Super Bowl ever provided all sorts of entertainment, on and off the field.
Whether it was the entertaining game interludes or Tom Petty’s flowing, blonde locks, a game that seemed pointless hit fans from all angles. It startedoff with the humoristic rendition of the infamous horse-head in bed scene from “The Godfather” thanks to Audi and a gibberish-talking stain brought to you by the people of Tide. All this game needed was pizza, chips, some freshly made guacamole and a couple of ice cold cervezas, and you had the most entertaining night in professional sports — dare we say sports history? Well, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.
Even on a night when MVP Brady couldn’t hit water out of a boat, or even when Giants’ go-to-guy Plaxico Burress had two catches (ya’ll know the second one), the game in and of itself was an underdog. In all honesty, who wanted to see Manning, synonymous for infamous spurts of pouting, attempting to dethrone the all-mighty Pats? Being a West coaster, all I asked of the football gods was a Super Bowl worth watching after the last two. Wait, who won the last two?
Yet again, the sporting world did not disappoint. Well, except anyone from the Suffolk County area, of course. Knowing that the event was in a dire need of an injection of electrifying amusement, the powers that be provided us with history. Rest assured Don Shula, you are still listed numero uno on Wikipedia for undefeated seasons. The lowest seed in NFC history to advance to a Super Bowl did what underdogs do best: believe. The result left the Pats in the dust. New England wideout Donté Stallworth was so puzzled, he was quoted as saying he doesn’t even know what the Giants did to subdue the Patriots and their record-setting offense.
Although fans will walk away with distinct memories from Super Bowl XLII, the memory of the Giants’ No. 5 making an acrobatic, unfeasible catch in quadruple coverage, Bill Belichick and his self-made, cut-off hoodie leaving the field prematurely and supermodels Adriana Lima and Naomi Campbell were the highlights for this fan.
So, in conclusion: Come-from-behind historic upset. Undefeated campaign kaboshed. Pizza, chips, cervezas and supermodels? Oh man, am I playing into the stereotypes or what? Welcome to the world of football.
