Now, consider The Big
Picture: I can’t even imagine the
massive preparations required around what is now “Super Bowl Week”. How many gazillions of hours were spent by the
players on weight equipment and physical therapy tables? Or by team coaches reviewing and strategizing
and re-strategizing? Or by Beyonce’ and
crew relentlessly rehearsing a perfectly executed halftime show? (I’m proud to say that girl’s a native Texan
by the way.) Or by peanut vendors and
burger flippers and t-shirt sellers and hand towel suppliers in making sure no
one’s good time would be hampered by a shortage of their wares during The Big
Game? Who knew that a beer company sponsor
would go to such great lengths as to replace every sign, emblem and label in
their New Orleans hotel, right down to the hotel room shower curtains, with their
own logo just for their guests attending this big event? Records of physical greatness were defied,
outlandish bets were lost and won, fabulous wardrobes were bought and flaunted,
restaurants and hotels overflowed with good times, the overhauled Superdome
became a thing of beauty again, the city of New Orleans (a/k/a/ The Big Easy)
was embraced by the world, and oh yeah, I almost forgot - the lights went out
for awhile.
By the way, in case it’s not
evident, I do love sports spectating. I
have ever since my first cheerleading position, won with homemade lapel signs
and cutesy slogans (“Don’t be a Goose, Vote for Nelda Luce” …thought that one up myself.) Put on the spot, right there at my first football
game at William B. Travis Junior High, I was forced to grasp the difference
between offense and defense, and to comprehend which cheer worked - and which
did not. After all, it was pretty
difficult to rouse even a crowd of players’ parents by enthusiastically
screaming “Push ‘em back, push ‘em back, waaaaaay back!” when our own
quarterback was scrambling to throw a long pass. So, after some instant on-the-job training, I
became a true sports fan then and there.
Which is why I, like many
other football folks, look forward all year to Super Bowl Week. The pregame festivities, the coin toss, the
kickoff, every quarter, every play, every penalty, every commercial, and of
course, like the cheerleader in me, the halftime show. But, a lesson to be learned is that we shouldn’t
allow the smaller surprises like a short loss of power to overshadow the extraordinary
effort it must take to entertain the world for an entire week. So, a shout out to The Big Easy: You’re still a bright spot in The Big Picture!
