So the biggest event in North American sports took over the TV set this past Sunday; Super Bowl XLV. The game took place in Texas at the regular stomping ground for the Dallas Cowboys, Cowboy Stadium (previously Texas Stadium). This annual event is often one for the record books, setting an unmatched precedence for advertising (both rates and creative), sponsorship and viewership. Naturally I was glued to my television set for the entire three hours, taking in play-by-plays and celebration dances. This year’s game saw the Green Bay Packers (the NFC Champions) battling the Pittsburgh Steelers (the AFC Champions) vying for the ultimate football championship and the hopes of taking home the Vince Lombardi trophy. At the start of the game I was definitely cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The pre-game performances definitely helped to set the bar high for the rest of the day. Lea Michelle from the hit show Glee performed Stars and Stripes, and ode to the United States of America, and her rendition was glorious.

Followed shortly thereafter was five-time Grammy Award winner, Christina Aguilera, belting out the American National Anthem. I had goose bumps, and it isn’t even my anthem! She was breathtaking in her performance, and managed a simplistic, chic look in a black dress (hell yeah I’m going to comment on her fashion). I

n typical football style there was a one-minute compilation of the road to glory for both football teams, and the relation of the sport to life in America. The video was narrated by and featured Michael Douglas, whose personal struggle single-handedly defines strength and courage – the perfect overtone for this message. Again, goose bumps. I can’t put my finger on what it is about football that moves me so much, but regardless of what it is, a football montage can bring tears to my eyes.

The game opened with the Green Bay Packers winning the coin toss, and deferring to receive the kick off in the second half of the game. There were a few choice plays through the first thirty minutes of play; however, the most noteworthy was the Green Bay Packers interception and run for a touchdown, to advance their lead to 14-0 in the second quarter. The first half of the game wrapped up with the Green Bay Packers leading the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-3. Myself and every other Pittsburgh fan watching had to doubt their support and the Steeler’s ability to show up and put up a fight.

That leads us into the Bridgestone Halftime Performance – typically one of the highlights and most talked about moments of the Super Bowl each year. Who could forget the infamous Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction? Not I! The year’s headliner was The Black Eyed Peas who tackled a collection of their smash hits from over the years, running together thirty seconds or so of each song.

They started the performance by descending from the jumbo screen display in the middle of the stadium roof – epic – and each of the four-member set had a unique outfit to suit their personalities. Each member had once flashy piece and my personal favorite was Fergie’s football shoulder pad-esque getup covered entirely in sequences. It was ridiculous fierce and incredibly eye catching. Their pop-up stage was surround my an incredible flash mob, whose costumes also lit up during key moments and songs to add to the overall effect of the performance – again, epic. A few other celebrity musicians joined them; famous guitarist Slash and legendary hip-hop and R&B star, Usher. Both cameo performances lit up the stage and provided both live and at home audiences with additional reasons to sing and dance along. Heck yes I was dancing in my living room!

The third quarter saw a recharge Steelers team take to the field and charge back from their 18 point deficit, bringing the score up to 21-17, still in favor of the Green Bay Packers. Could this be the turn around that the Steeler’s were looking for and so desperately needed? With two minutes left to play in the game, and a couple touchdowns and field goals added to the mix from both teams, the score was 31-25 with Green Bay still in the lead, having held it for the entire duration of the game up until this point. With only fifty-six seconds left in the game, Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers was facing 4th down and five yards to go to keep his team in the game. The pass was ruled incomplete, handing the ball back to the Green Bay Packers, ultimately sealing the fate of the game. The Green Bay Packers edged out the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV for the win!

That wraps up the 2010-2011 NFL Season, with the Green Bay Packers once again finding themselves on top of the world, showcasing their abilities and talents – a force to be reckoned with…

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