kay bee elle: Superbowl XLVII

aka: Har-bowl, Beyonce-Bowl, Blackout-Bowl.

The Superbowl has always been a guaranteed night of fun, food, laughter and of course football, duh. Growing up, my neighborhood had tons of traditions. Just like my family, the neighborhood liked to throw a party for everything- Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl- and the Superbowl was no exception.

The two weeks leading up to the game a block pool went around filling the boxes with names of potential winners. On the day of the game, the parents went to the same house every year for a party to watch the game- aka dads watched the game, while the moms talked. Kids weren't invited, so most of the kids would come to my house for our own party! We were usually more interested in the commercials and half time show than the actual game, pretty standard.

The kids (and adults) played a game called the "Commercial Game". This was my favorite thing about the Superbowl. We had a board with different categories of commercials on it and during the game you would place a dollar on the category that you thought would be the first commercial played of the break. If your category won, you won the money on the board. Trust me, it's a lot more fun than it may seem. I made a board and brought it to my Superbowl parties in college and everyone loved it.

You could also include other categories like insurance, clothing, fast food, etc.

I love how commercials are as crucial a part of the Superbowl viewing experience as the Halftime Show and the game itself. Each year I look forward to the commercials regardless of who's playing the game. Nerd Alert: I would love to be part of the marketing/advertising team that comes up with some of these spots.

This year without a doubt my favorite commercial was the Budweiser "Brotherhood" commercial. I literally almost cried. I always love the Budweiser commercials because I love horses and Clydesdale are gorgeous, but this year OMG, the emotion in that commercial was amazing. And it showed a true relationship between a man and his horse! I absolutely loved it. Somehow my mom missed the commercial during the game, imagine that, so when I came home and started talking about it, she was dying to see it. My mom and I share the same love for horse and I knew she was going to love it. She cried, full on tears, when she watched it. Twice.

Here is a link to all of the Superbowl commercials. Which was your favorite?

Living in the Philadelphia area and being raised an Eagles fan, there's not usually much excitement late in the post season, and this year- forget about it. There was the exception of Superbowl XXXIX, when the Eagles lost to the Patriots or in the 2008 post-season when they lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game- off the top of my head. But other than that the Superbowl has been more about friends and fun, rather than the actual game of football. Yeah, I said it!

This year the Superbowl brought an interesting camaraderie for all viewers- brothers coaching against each other in the biggest game of their career. Forget Ravens vs 49ers, it was John Harbaugh vs Jim Harbaugh! What are the chances that brothers would both be head coaches in the NFL, let alone make it to the Superbowl, and then to be playing against each other in the same one? Sheesh, talk about pressure. Leading up to the biggest game in the sport, I couldn't help but think that the winning brother would forever have the ultimate bragging rights: "I beat you in the Superbowl"!!!! I'm sure they would be happy for and proud of the other one to have made it to the Superbowl, but having to compete for the title must have brought so many more emotions. I would love to be a fly on the wall come Easter dinner, or the next big family gathering for that matter.

I have since watched a number of interviews which talked about the topic of brothers competing for the title. The Harbaughs seem like a very nice family with great values. I love hearing about how men in sports, especially coaches, were raised and how they came to love the sport. I love when coaches add good character to the team and are there for the love of the game and not just for the name or paycheck. That's what makes sports worthwhile.

During an interview I saw of John and Jim's parents, Jack and Jackie, about the game, there was a clip of the brothers exchanging words during warm-ups ... John: "Love you man." Jim: "I love you too." John: "I'm so proud of you!" Jim: "No matter how it comes out, we're brothers, they can't change that!" John: "That's exactly right!" >> How precious? Seriously.

As you could guess, I have no real tie or favoritism towards either team that played in Sunday Night's game, but once Ray Lewis had announced he was retiring at the end of the season I started rooting for the Baltimore Ravens. I wanted to see an icon like him go out the best way possible- a Superbowl Champion! I know that people keep bringing up his past and whatever the truth may be, he also happens to be the best Linebacker in the game right now and maybe even ever. He's the Lawrence Taylor of this generation. They changed the defense, they changed the game, and they each changed the way the linebacker position is played- it's always sad to see an icon in sports leave their game. Lots of kids want to be him, they look up to him and he's a leader. He has won the respect of his teammates and those throughout the league. He inspires people to achieve greatness, aside from his personal life or low points, but it's about how you over come those obstacles that determines character. I'll admit, I don't know the whole story of what's happened with Ray Lewis in the past, but it seems like he's done a good job of changing that image. People know who he is because of the way he played the game- that's what being a sports icon is all about!

Another reason to root for the Ravens: Ray Rice! Ray Rice is a fellow Rutgers Alumni and part of RFamily. He was a huge part in changing the face and reputation of Rutgers Football. He's always been a great player to watch and root for! Like any other team, school or organization, everyone associated with the Block R is family and we root for each other. There are two members of the RFamily on the Baltimore Ravens- Ray Rice and Alex Silvestro, as opposed to only one, Anthony Davis, on the San Fransisco 49ers, so I had to go with the team with more Scarlet Knights! :)

So let's talk football, finally, right? The first half was dominated by the Baltimore Ravens. Clearly. The score was 21-6 at the half. Then Beyonce stole the show. Literally. She was amazing. She has always been amazing, but what a Halftime Show that was. It's pretty safe to say that most people who were watching Beyonce perform forgot that this was just a Halftime Show, that she wasn't the entertainment for the rest of the night and shortly after, well with an unexpected 34 minute delay, a football game would resume with Jacoby Jones breaking an NFL post season record and returning a kick-off 108 yards.

After the New Orleans Superdome through a hissy-fit for a Beyonce encore, the 49ers gave the Ravens a run for their money, outscoring them 23-3 in less than 13 minutes and changing the momentum of the game. In the 4th quarter, the Superbowl Champion Title became reachable for both teams.

Trailing by 5 with under 3 minutes of play, the 49ers made some questionable play calls leaving the ball in their own red-zone and in the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. The 49ers forced Joe Flacco into the end-zone for a safety and with 5 seconds remaining on the clock, the Baltimore Ravens became Superbowl Champions!!!! The final score of the game: Baltimore Ravens 34; San Francisco 49ers 31!

It goes without saying, I love the game of football. Some may not think so, but it's such an emotional sport. The love, pride, together-ness, and family that these teams build is so wonderful. I hope that someday, my everyday work will be directly connected to the game or sports in general.

Call me crazy, but I literally started tearing up during Coach John Harbaugh's post game interview. The respect and love he has for his brother, players, and everyone on the Baltimore Ravens staff is admirable. Below is a portion of the interview, click HERE for the full interview on NFL.com.