Taking it to the house …
Regardless of how you feel about the National Football League or pro sports in general, you have to admit there were a number of redemptive moments Sunday night during Super Bowl 2020.
From the very beginning, with the Take it to the house, kid opening number, essentially a commercial celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NFL, a focus on youngsters was evident and, at least in this case, a very good thing.
And leading the way was 13-year-old Maxwell ‘Bunchie’ Young, a Los Angeles teen who carried the game football through the commercial and then live into the stadium in Miami, chased by a throng of enthusiastic children.
The league brass also punctuated the century mark by employing several 100-year-old World War II veterans who presented the coin to be flipped between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, said coin being hand-delivered by Tuskegee Airman retired Colonel Charles McGee, accompanied by centenarian vets Odon Cardenas, Samuel Lombardo and Sidney Walton.
A class act and good gesture, indeed.
Though the cameras didn’t focus that much on other things, it was noteworthy that several Kansas City players knelt in prayer in the end zone immediately prior to the kickoff, and many players and coaches on both teams held hands over hearts while Demi Lovato belted out a powerful National Anthem. Decidedly better images than the league has been subject to in recent years.
Of course, there was the halftime show of glitz, glitter and considerable butt-shaking, trademarks of stars Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, but a set with kids, led by J-Lo’s 11-year-old daughter Emme, was arguably the most entertaining highlight.
Then, naturally, there was the game itself, probably the most exciting in the 50 years it took the Chiefs to find their way back into the winners circle as upstart quarterback Patrick Mahomes guided his team from a 10-point deficit to a 31-20 win with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
It’s definitely a Super Bowl chapter they’ll be talking about for a long time to come.
Might even bring a few fans back into the fold who had just about given up on their favorite professional sport.
We’ll see.