Super Bowl Tips for Monday, Jan. 11, from the University of Minnesota
Maybe this explains the Hail Mary
Because the United States is a relatively young country with few religious holidays, University of Minnesota sociology chair Bill Brustein says the Super Bowl essentially fills a void. "The United States was founded on religious expression," Brustein says, "but unlike many European countries, we don't celebrate lots of religious holidays. A country like Bavaria is very Catholic, and schoolchildren still take off on many religious holidays. Our secularized people don't follow that habit. And we don't have a 2,000-year history, so we don't have as many national events as some European countries. That means we've got more openings and we're looking for traditions. With the role of the media in the present day, it may not take decades to create these traditions, and the Super Bowl is a perfect example. It has become what it is in a very short period." So, even if your team isn't in it, you watch the Super Bowl. Even non-football fans tune in to see the glitzy new multimillion-dollar ads trotted out by Madison Avenue or the halftime show, which typically features the hot musical artist du jour. It's also a great day for gamblers.
Brustein's at [email protected] or (612) 624-1895. News Service contact, Jim Thielman, [email protected], (612) 624-0214.
Super Suppressive Sunday?
It's approaching faster than a kickoff coverage team: Super Bowl Sunday, a day that for many involves fun, food, family, friends and football. But University of Minnesota associate professor of journalism Dona Schwartz has a different perspective.
"The Super Bowl marks a celebratory junction of corporate capitalism, masculinity and power that affirms and perpetuates inequality," says Schwartz.
When the Twin Cities hosted the big game in 1992, Schwartz sent nine photographers across the metro area in search of images that might tell a different story from the NFL Films version. The result is her book, "Contesting the Super Bowl," which addresses race, class and gender divisions, the roles of the host city elite in staging the spectacle and the function of the NFL and the media as storytellers.
"The NFL and corporate America enjoy a lucrative partnership at the expense of minorities, women and average tax-paying citizens--a partnership celebrated annually in the media orgy that is the Super Bowl," she says. Contact Schwartz at (612) 625-5088 or [email protected]. News Service contact, Mike Nelson, [email protected], (612) 626-7701.
Purple reign (Comments void for teams that lost before this posting)
What are the chances that the Vikings will go to the Super Bowl? Statistically speaking, the Vikings will not only go to the big show, but are the hands-down favorite to win on Super Sunday, according to University of Minnesota biostatistician Brad Carlin.
"The Vikings lost only one game this season, on the road, by a field goal," said Carlin. "That's dominance."
According to NFL power ratings and some creative number crunching by Carlin, the favorites to win this year's Super Bowl are, in descending order: Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and San Francisco Forty-Niners. Carlin says the numbers indicate that in head-to-head competition, the Vikings are three points better than the Falcons, not including three or four points for home field advantage, which the Vikings will enjoy throughout the playoffs.
"The home field advantage for the Vikings may be underestimated," says Carlin. "Fan noise in the Metrodome has historically proven difficult for opponents. Realistically and statistically, the Vikings' home field advantage is closer to five or six points."
Carlin, an avid sports fan who does not advocate wagering (you'll lose much more often than you'll win, he says), can be reached at [email protected] or (612) 624-6646. News Service contact, Mike Nelson, [email protected], (612) 626-7701.
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