The NFL Playoffs— It’s About More Than Football

Last weekend’s two day’s of NFL playoff games offered some of the best football in recent memory, but the TV coverage away from the field also captured my interest. On Saturday, a network promotional piece proudly announced that the game was being seen by United States Military personnel in 175 foreign countries. When the same promotional piece was telecast on Sunday, the number of foreign countries where the U.S. Military was said to be watching the game had grown to 177. I figured that Saturday night while I was sleeping, U.S. troops must have invaded two new countries. Another explanation, I suppose, would be that two new embassies might have opened, and a squad of Marines might have been detached to both locations to watch the NFL playoffs while they guard the operation of whatever the hell it is that we do in 177 countries. I wonder. Am I the only guy who notices this crap? Or am I just the only guy who’s naïve enough to question it?

And then there’s the product commercials— not as spectacular as the Super Bowl commercials— but still worth a look. Kraft Foods advertised a macaroni and cheese product with the voice-over done by the silky baritone of Ted Williams. Williams, for those folks who don’t watch Oprah or Dr. Phil, is the formerly homeless and alcohol addicted radio announcer who has been given a new 15 minutes of fame because of his voice. When Kraft quickly paid Williams the big bucks to peddle macaroni and cheese, Ted looked to heaven in a staged TV close-up and appeared to say, “Thank you, Jesus.” However, as I watched the Kraft commercial several times and listened carefully to the famous Williams voice, it’s now evident to me that he was really saying, “Thank you, cheeses.” When he gets out of rehab, Dr. Phil can ask him about this, but I’m pretty sure I’m right about this. There’s no such thing as macaroni and Jesus.