Along with some 146 million other viewers around the country, many University students spent Sunday night caught up in the excitement of the 38th annual Super Bowl, professional football’s most anticipated competition. Gathering for parties in spaces from the MPR in the campus center to the Butterfield C lounge, students put aside their work and tuned in across campus to catch the game.
In just slipping past the Carolina Panthers 32-29, the New England Patriots were lead to victory by coach and Wesleyan alum Bill Belichick, whose presence only added to the already strong base of Patriots support among many Wes viewers.
“I like John Fox, the Panthers’ coach, because he used to be with the Giants, but Belichick’s a Wes alum, so I had to go with my heart.” said Quinnipiac student Seth Samuels ’05, who attended Wesleyan through last year and is still a member of improv comedy group Gag Reflex.
While Wesleyan pride was in no short supply on Sunday night, the Patriots’ victory was cause for rejoicing among many Wes students’ reveling in sheer home-team pride.
“I was rooting for the Patriots. I live in Conn. and have been a Patriots fan since I started watching and following football,” said Kevin Egolf ’05. “I was confident that the Pats were going to win the entire game even after they went down.”
“I hated all of my friends who weren’t Pats fans throughout the entire game,” said avid fan Bernadette Doykos ’04.
For some students, the decision was easy; territorial loyalty trumped all other factors.
“Growing up in Boston, you have no choice other than to cheer for the Pats,” said Brad Wasik ’04.
The Patriots’ narrow victory, breaking out of a 29-29 dead heat in the last minute of the game, capped off what was one of the most intense and exciting Super Bowls in recent memory.
“It was one of the few games that actually [became] more contested as the game wore on,” said Justin Costa ’06. “The Panthers didn’t take the lead at all until near the end of the game, which made everything that much more exciting.”
“The game was definitely a classic.” Samuels said. “A bunch of people have been calling it the best Super Bowl ever, although the Giants in XXV and Rams in XXXIV were better I think, just because those games had the threat of a reversal.”
Still, the excitement of the game itself was overshadowed by the already infamous half-time show mishap, in which Janet Jackson’s right breast was accidentally exposed during a duet with ‘N Sync alumnus Justin Timberlake. The incident has launched a regulatory investigation by the Federal Communications Commission and well as helping to make “Janet Jackson,” “superbowl halftime” and “MTV” the three most popular search terms at the web engine Google.
Students shared little of the public ire that the incident has elicited.
“I had heard rumors that the [halftime show’s] ‘special guest’ was gonna be Michael Jackson, so I was really psyched, but instead it turned out to be Janet’s boob, which was even better.” Samuels said.
“The halftime show was ridiculous,” said Erin Reding ’06. “It was a sorry attempt at some form of entertainment, but it did make me laugh, so I guess it did its job.”
The furor over the halftime show was not the only controversy the game helped to spark. In the week prior to the broadcast, much was made of CBS’ decision to not to air an anti-Bush political ad from the left-wing advocacy group MoveOn.org. Many viewers were encouraged to switch over to CNN in mid-game, where the MoveOn ad was played at 8:10 and 8:30, in an effort of protest.
“I can’t believe CBS would ban an expression of an opinion but allow the crass baseness that went on during their halftime show” Samuels said. “Seriously though, it’s not like the super bowl is the only time to air advertisements.”
CBS responded to its critics by stating that its policy has always been not to air advocacy ads. However, the network did air several anti-smoking ads and an ad sponsored by the White House, which led some students to charge CBS with favoritism and hypocrisy.
Despite the divineness that much of the game inspired, some students didn’t feel the need to take sides—they were content solely with the excitement and camaraderie the game produced.
“I think I was rooting for football as an institution,” Golbe said.
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