{"id":1675,"date":"2008-02-04T11:18:59","date_gmt":"2008-02-04T11:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/idolchatter\/2008\/02\/super-bowl-is-1-reality-tv.html"},"modified":"2008-02-04T11:18:59","modified_gmt":"2008-02-04T11:18:59","slug":"super-bowl-is-1-reality-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2008\/02\/super-bowl-is-1-reality-tv.html","title":{"rendered":"David Beats Goliath: Super Bowl is #1 Reality TV!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SuperBowl2.jpg\"In the growing (and potentially nauseating!) world of reality TV, yesterday\u2019s Super Bowl once again proved that professional sports are still the absolute best reality TV programming on the air. And, occasionally, it\u2019s not only entertaining, but inspiring, as in yesterday\u2019s game, when David beat Goliath! There\u2019s something in all of us that understands and roots for the underdog, perhaps because we all have ways in which we are underdogs in our own worlds. To that end, the Super Bowl went from boring to brilliant in the 4th quarter when David threw his stones and Goliath fell. And they fell hard.
\nThe New England Patriots were playing not only for this year\u2019s title but for the historical ranking as one of the greatest–if not the <\/em>greatest teams–of all time. They had become just the third team ever to go through the entire season undefeated. The New York Giants didn\u2019t even make it through the first week undefeated, and they didn\u2019t get a win until the third week of the season. Yet it was the Giants who won one for the ages and silenced their critics forever.<\/p>\n


\nComparing quarterbacks, Tom Brady has been a golden boy, with record-setting stats on the field and an emerging tabloid star off the field. Eli Manning\u2019s stats and ability to win games paled in comparison not only to Brady but also to his more famous and successful brother, who won last year\u2019s Super Bowl, won most of his games this year, and enjoyed new status as an actor in several highly successful television commercials. Brady was the best in the league. Manning wasn\u2019t even the best in his family! Yet in the end, it was Manning who shook off tacklers to make an all-time amazing play while leading the game-ending drive, leading to the win and his celebratory trip to Walt Disney World.
\nComparing coaches, New England\u2019s Bill Belichick has been heralded as a master this year,
\neven overcoming accusations of cheating which seemed to rally his players around him. New York\u2019s Tom Coughlin has often looked angry at his under-performing players while generally carrying a crusty visage and critical winces most of the time. Yet it was Coughlin sharing the hugs and celebrations while Belichick was crushed and nearly speechless.
\nAnd while New England\u2019s receiver core put up record statistics this year, it was the Giants\u2019 receivers who became the 4th-quarter heroes, especially David Tyree, who made the 4th quarter circus-act-hand-to-helmet-while-pirouetting-and-surviving-the-back-bending-tackle-with-the-ball-an-inch-off-the-ground catch that will be repeated for years as one of the best of all time. Then, Plaxico Burress caught the winning pass, before giving the victory speech that credited God for giving him the talent and his team the opportunity. It was live, so the networks couldn\u2019t steer away from the spiritual moment, which was as authentic as it was inspiring.
\nToday\u2019s day-after water cooler chats will focus on this game so much more than what The Donald said on “Apprentice” or something from \u201cDancing\u2026\u201d, \u201cBachelor\u2026\u201d or \u201cMy Dad is Smarter Than Your Dad.\u201d It was live. It was inspiring. And as the ticker-tape parade rolls tomorrow, we\u2019ll all have our spirits lifted in ways that may spill over into our own lives. Here\u2019s hoping so!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the growing (and potentially nauseating!) world of reality TV, yesterday\u2019s Super Bowl once again proved that professional sports are still the absolute best reality TV programming on the air. And, occasionally, it\u2019s not only entertaining, but inspiring, as in yesterday\u2019s game, when David beat Goliath! There\u2019s something in all of us that understands and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nDavid Beats Goliath: Super Bowl is #1 Reality TV!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2008\/02\/super-bowl-is-1-reality-tv.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"David Beats Goliath: Super Bowl is #1 Reality TV!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the growing (and potentially nauseating!) world of reality TV, yesterday\u2019s Super Bowl once again proved that professional sports are still the absolute best reality TV programming on the air. 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