Super Bowl XLII

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Super Bowl XLII logo
New York Giants New England Patriots
DateFebruary 3, 2008
StadiumUniversity of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
FavoritePatriots by 13½[1]
RefereeMike Carey[2]
Ceremonies
National anthemJordin Sparks[3]
Halftime showTom Petty and The Heartbreakers
TV in the United States
NetworkFOX
AnnouncersJoe Buck,[4] Troy Aikman[4], Pam Oliver and Chris Myers
Cost of 30-second commercial$2.7 million[citation needed]


Super Bowl XLII, the 42nd annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football, will determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) following the 2007 regular season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 3 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This will be the second time that the Phoenix area will host a Super Bowl game; Super Bowl XXX in January 1996 was played in Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium, on the campus of Arizona State University.

The game will be contested by the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots. New England will attempt to become the first unbeaten NFL team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the first one since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978. This game will also be a rematch of the teams' regular season-ending game on December 29 2007, in which the Patriots won, 38-35, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

New England enters the Super Bowl as a 13½-point favorite.[1]

Background

Host selection process

The league contemplated the idea of holding Super Bowl XLII in either New York City or Washington, D.C. as a symbol of the recovery from the September 11, 2001 attacks.[5] However, New York City was not even considered as a finalist, because the proposed renovations to Giants Stadium were still being disputed among its stadium representatives, and the city and the New York Jets at the time still had not finalized a plan to build the new West Side Stadium; ultimately, that deal fell through.[6] When NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XLII to Glendale during their 2003-10-30 meeting in Chicago, Illinois, they rejected Washington because they preferred a warmer and drier climate.[7]

Venue

This will be the first time a Super Bowl is played on a retractable natural-grass field surface, as the University of Phoenix Stadium removable surface is unique for American sports venues.[8]

This will also be the second Super Bowl played in a retractable-roof stadium (designed by Peter Eisenman and HOK Sport). During the regular season, the home team decides 90 minutes before kickoff if the roof would be open or closed, and an open roof must remain open unless weather conditions get worse. However, as a neutral site, the NFL controls the option to open or close without any restrictions. The first time this was employed was in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium; the roof was open for pregame and halftime shows and closed during the game.[9]

During a February 6, 2007 ceremony with Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, the NFL and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee unveiled the slogan "Who Wants It More?" along with its mascot "Spike the Super Ball" (an anthropomorphized football with sunglasses and sneakers) and a large "Super Bowl XLII Countdown Clock" at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.[10] The Super Bowl XLII logo was also unveiled, featuring the shape of the state of Arizona in red. The two horizontal white stripes in the middle represent the vertical lines on the University of Phoenix Stadium. The turquoise Roman Numerals represent the Native American culture of Arizona. The red star represents the AFC and the blue star represents the NFC. [10]

Teams

New England Patriots

Further information: 2007 New England Patriots season

By the time the Patriots advanced to Super Bowl XLII, their fourth Super Bowl in the last seven years, they were already being billed as one of the greatest teams in NFL history. They had stormed to the top of the league with a perfect 16-0 record (the first team ever to accomplish this feat) and set an NFL record with 589 points, an average of over 36 points per game, while giving up only 274 (4th best in the league).

The team was once again led by quarterback Tom Brady who won his first NFL MVP award, throwing for a career high 4,806 yards and an NFL record 50 touchdowns, with only 8 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 117.2. One reason his numbers were so much higher then in his prevouis seasons was the new addition of receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker, both aquired by off season trades. Moss, a 9-year veteran, had once been considered one of the best receivers in the NFL, but injury problems and off field issues had severly limited his production over the last few years, and he finished the 2006 season with a career low 551 receiving yards. As a result, the Oakland Raiders traded him to New England for a fourth round draft pick. But as soon as he started playing with the Patriots, Moss immediately returned to his prime, making the pro bowl for the 6th time with 98 receptions for a league leading 1,493 yards and an NFL record 23 touchdowns. Welker, aquired from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for second and sixth round draft picks, lead the NFL with 112 receptions for 1,175 yards and 8 touchdowns, while also returning 25 punts for 249 yards. Receiver Donte Stallworth was also a big contributor with 697 yards, while tight end Ben Watson added 36 receptions for 389 yard and 6 touchdowns.

Running back Lawrence Maroney was the Patriots top rusher with 835 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Sammy Morris added 385 and Kevin Faulk had 265. Faulk was also a reliable reciever out of the back field, catching 47 passes for 383 yards. New England Also had a superb offensive line, led by three pro bowlers: Logan Mankins, Matt Light, and center Dan Kopen

New England's defensive line was led by pro bowler Vince Wilfork defensive end Jarvis Green, who had 6 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. The Patriots also had a superb trio of veteran linebackers who shared a combined total of 15 pro bowl selections between them. One of them was Adalius Thomas, an offseason pickup from the Baltimore Ravens, who recorded 6 sacks. Middle linebacker Mike Vrabel had the best season of career, leading the team with a career high 12.5 sacks and making the first pro bowl selection of his career. The third spot was filled by Junior Seau, a 12-time pro bowler and 18-year veteran who was eagerly seeking his first Super Bowl ring. New England's secondary featured pro bowl cornerback Assante Samuel, who led the team with 6 interceptions.

New York Giants

Further information: 2007 New York Giants season

- The Giants entered the playoffs as a wild-card qualifier, clinching the fifth seed in the NFC. Having their playoff position determined going into the final week of the season, the Giants faced the Patriots — a team one win away from an undefeated regular season. Despite the 38-35 loss, the Giants had a strong showing against the Patriots, considering that a win would not have changed the Giants' playoff position.

- The Giants completed a 10-game road-winning streak, having defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game, 23-20 in overtime. In that game, both teams endured bitter temperatures of −1 °F (−18 °C), making it the third-coldest game in league history, outranked by two previous championship games, the December 1967 "Ice Bowl" and the January 1982 "Freezer Bowl."[11]

Broadcasting

The game will be televised in the United States on FOX: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call the game, while Pam Oliver and Chris Myers will be sideline reporters.[4] The pre-game will be handled by the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show team led by Curt Menefee, joined by Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson. Official pre-game coverage will start at 2 PM US EST, with preliminary events, including NFL Films' Road to the Super Bowl highlight show starting at noon. Fox News will pair their preview of the Super Tuesday Presidential primaries with Fox Sports' Super Bowl coverage, airing Fox Super Sunday from 9 AM to noon EST.

In Canada, CTV has acquired the rights to the game, ending Global's longtime coverage.

In the United Kingdom, the BBC has acquired the rights to show the game live on BBC Two,[12][13][14] ending ITV Sport's coverage which began in 2005. Sky Sports will once again broadcast the game in High Definition.

In Mexico, Televisa and TV Azteca will broadcast the game in Spanish including their first HD broadcast. In Brazil, BandSports will broadcast the game. In Denmark, TV3+ will broadcast the game. In Poland, Canal+ will broadcast Super Bowl XLII. In Australia, SBS will brodcast the game live on free-to-air TV.

On radio, Westwood One has the broadcast rights in the United States and Canada; Marv Albert and Boomer Esiason will serve as the announcing team for that network. The game will be carried on BBC Radio 5 Live in the United Kingdom.

Entertainment

According to the entertainment publication Variety, the NFL developed a wish list for the halftime performer(s). Among those on the wish list of potential entertainers were Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones and The Eagles.[15]

On Willie Nelson's official website it states that he will be performing for a pre-game tailgate party.[16]

On December 2, 2007, it was officially announced that Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers would be the halftime entertainment with Bridgestone as the show sponsor.[17]

This year's Super Bowl entertainment will have many connections to Fox's hit series American Idol. On August 16, both the NFL and FOX confirmed that American Idol host Ryan Seacrest will serve as emcee for the pre-game and halftime shows, and Season Six winner and native of Glendale Jordin Sparks will sing the National Anthem.[18] In addition, judge Paula Abdul will debut her first music video in over a decade which she made with fellow judge Randy Jackson as part of FOX's pregame coverage to kickoff her official comeback.[19] On January 16, 2008, TMZ confirmed that Abdul has started rehearsals for a halftime performance of her new song, and also stated that Soulja Boy will also be present.

Officials

Mike Carey has been chosen to be the head referee for this game; this marks the first time that an African-American has been chosen to be the lead official in a Super Bowl.[2] Carey also refereed the last game between the Giants and Patriots.

Commercials

The scheduled date for Super Bowl XLII is Sunday, February 3; this is two days before Super Tuesday, the date in which 24 states are holding their presidential primaries. As such, some presidential hopefuls have considered purchasing Super Bowl ads. An advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain (who incidentally is a United States Senator from Arizona), said that the football audience is "a very ripe and timely target."[20]

One of fifty-eight 30-second spots will cost an estimated $2.7 million,[citation needed] up from $2.6 million in 2006. However, advertisers are usually offered discounted rates below the official one. Cars.com, which had yet to buy a Super Bowl Ad, made an early announcement that it will purchase two spots.[21] Following up on its Super Bowl XLI ad, which was one of several fan-created ads that year, the Doritos brand will use its spot to air a brief performance by an unsigned artist that wins an online contest.[22] Through December 7, all but two ad slots were sold.[23] Fans were asked on the superbowl.com web pages to pick the NFL's official Super Bowl ad from several players. Also scheduled are ads for Under Armour's new "Prototype" cross-training shoe, Gatorade's new "G2" low-cal sports drink, Victoria's Secret and Salesgenie.com, with all but the G2 ad done "in-house". They will join "usual suspects" Pepsi-Cola and Anheuser-Busch among others.

References

  1. ^ a b "Pats' historic season earns large point spread in Super Bowl". ESPN.com. 2008-01-20. Retrieved 2008-01-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b "Carey To Be First Black Super Bowl Referee". NFL.com. 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1214jordin1214.html
  4. ^ a b c "Fox Super Bowl team takes to the desert". azcentral.com. 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2007-12-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Loverro, Thom. "D.C.'s so unSuper in winter". Washington Times. Retrieved 2005-09-10.
  6. ^ Pedulla, Tom (2003-09-22). "N.Y./N.J. Super Bowl in 2008 may not come to pass". USA Today. Retrieved 2005-09-10.
  7. ^ "Arizona awarded 2008 Super Bowl". NFL.com. 2003-10-30. Retrieved 2007-02-08. {{cite news}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Cards stadium rolls field into place for 1st time" (Press release). CMX. 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  9. ^ Associated Press (2004-01-22). "Stadium roof could be open for Super Bowl". Superbowl.com. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
  10. ^ a b "Governor Napolitano and Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee Unveil Countdown Clock, Official Super Bowl Logo, Statewide Outreach Program, and Mascot". Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2007-02-07. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Eisen, Michael (2008-01-20). "Notes, anecdotes and statistics". Giants.com. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  12. ^ "BBC Sport to broadcast Super Bowl for first time". bbc.co.uk. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-12-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "BBC win rights to show Super Bowl". TimesOnline. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-12-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "BBC win rights to show Super Bowl". NFLUK.com. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2007-12-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ The Arizona Republic (2007-02-28). "NFL not naming wish list for Super Bowl halftime". azcentral.com. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
  16. ^ "On the Road Again Tour Schedule". All Access Today. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2007-12-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Tom Petty to Play Super Bowl Halftime Show". WashingtonPost.com. 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2007-12-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "'Idol' Jordin Sparks to sing anthem at Super Bowl XLII". The Arizona Republic. 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2007-12-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Paula Abdul to debut new music video during Super Bowl pregame". RealityTVWorld.com. 2008-01-14. Retrieved 2008-01-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Political ads during Super Bowl?". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
  21. ^ "Super Bowl XLII Is More Than CX Days Away, But..." New York Times. 2007-10-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ "Doritos Gives Undiscovered Music Act the Stage of a Lifetime". PR Newswire. 2008-10-11.
  23. ^ "Time running out on available Super Bowl ad slots". USA Today. 2007-12-06. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |name= ignored (help)

External links

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