The word from Super Bowl Sunday was upset.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat dynasty-tagged New England and quarterback Tom Brady, who many consider the greatest of all time. The win was an upset, considering the Eagles were viewed in Las Vegas as an underdog. (Although the country's best gambler, known only as Bettor X, made multiple seven-figure wagers on the Eagles to win the game outright, and his payout was expected to be close to $10 million, which is what he reportedly made wagering on the World Series. Bettor X is assuredly not upset this morning.)
Considering the trending TV numbers of the NFL broadcasts this season, which were down double digits year-to-date by comparison, it was a mild upset that the Super Bowl numbers did not dip dramatically. The Super Bowl ratings hit an eight-year low, but it was the ninth- highest rating according to the overnight numbers. It dipped for the third consecutive year, but will still be far and away the biggest TV audience of the year.
Jay GreesonIn a lot of ways, the Super Bowl is slump-proof because the commercials and final result affect so many of us on Monday around the office. (If we want to be upset about something in that regard, let's get motivated to move the game to Saturday night so we can have a day to recover from the excess before heading back to the office. Here's betting there was not a lot of meaningful work being done in and around Philadelphia on Monday, except for the cleanup crews.)
While NBC was not overly upset at the figures - remember that the network has the huge cash cow that is the Olympics coming up - there had to be someone upset at the home office Monday morning. There was a 45-second, dead-air part of the broadcast that was just a black screen. Considering that the commercials are worth more than $5 million for 30 seconds, that was roughly a $7.5 million silence. Even Warren Buffett would be upset at that kind of lost earning opportunity.
Speaking of TV breaks, a lot of the folks who watch the commercials and chat during the game were severely upset with a lackluster performance from the ad companies this year. In fact, according to several tracking companies, the ads that registered the most emotional reaction this year were the "Vacation Quarterback" featuring Peyton Manning followed by three NBC self-promotion Olympics ads and the NFL's spot with Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., and some teammates reenacting the final dance scene in "Dirty Dancing." So, in a time when a couple of Clydesdales and a couple of flags and the King of Beers would be embraced, you have three Olympics commercials and two Mannings and everyone else.
So upset was the word for Sunday, and the word likely will carry through the days ahead for a few Super Bowl champs.
Among the Eagles who already have said he will not visit the White House after the Eagles' win is Chris Long. Long, a defensive end for the winning Eagles, said he is so upset with the leadership of our country that he will skip the traditional trip to the White House.
He's not alone. Athletes have been skipping the trip to the White House for years, even before you-know-who was in office.
Long, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long, donated all $1 million of his 2017 base salary to educational groups. The first six weeks of game checks went to scholarships in his hometown of Charlottesville, Va., after the white supremacists' rally last year; the rest went to support educational equality in Boston, St. Louis and Philadelphia, the three cities for which he has played professionally. (It's important to note here that for all of those upset with Colin Kaepernick and the protests during the national anthem, Long's donation matches the $1 million in gifts Kaepernick has donated in the last two years.)
Again, this is not completely new. Chris Long was among the Patriots who opted out of visiting the Trump White House after New England won last year's Super Bowl.
But, as many of us wrestle with how to be upset and who can be the most upset and whether that upsets somebody's stomach, here's a question: Is bailing out on the White House trip more effective than making that trip and taking the opportunity to ask the president a couple of questions?
Taking your concerns straight to the top is more in-your-face than taking a knee. It's more honest than carrying a sign. And it shows respect to an office even if you can't show it to the resident.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343.