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Reader Poll: Who’s Your Super Bowl Pick?

Well, if the final score is as close as this week’s NAPA-Net reader poll results, it should be a heck of a Super Bowl!

That said, it was the Broncos by a nose among this week’s respondents. Nearly half (48.5%) were out-and-out for Omaha, with another 7% willing to throw in with whomever “popped” the Patriots.

That left just over 35% who were pulling for the Panthers.

Oh, except for the roughly 6% who were cheering for the commercials — and the 3% who said they “couldn’t care less.”

Of course, there’s this Super Bowl — and there have been others (49, in fact). Some good, some great and some — well, great depending on who you were rooting for. So I asked readers to pick their favorite:

Favorite Super Bowls

The winner — perhaps not surprising in view of the strong support for the Broncos — was XXXII, a 31-24 Denver victory over the Green Bay Packers, cited by nearly 13% of this week’s respondents. Close behind was XLII, when the New York Giants snapped New England’s unbeaten streak in a stunning 17-14 win (cited by 11%), and in third place (cited by about 8%) another Giants win over the Patriots; Super Bowl XLVI (NY Giants 21, NE 17).

Other favorites were:

XX — Chicago 46, New England 10 (7.35%)

XLI — Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17 (6.35%)

XXXVI — New England 20, St. Louis 17 (6.2%)

XLVII — Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31 (4.76%)

Also noted were Super Bowls I, III, VIII, XII, XIII, XXVI, XXIX, XXX, XXXI, XXXIV, XXXIX, XLIII, XLV, XLVIII and XLIX.

One reader’s favorite: “My favorite will be when the Browns play in it.”

I had the privilege of being able to attend Super Bowl XLVII a couple of years back — truly an amazing experience in New Orleans (the one where the lights went out for about 20 minutes) — and I asked readers if they had had the opportunity to do so. Only about 4% had, but asked to name the most memorable aspect of that event — well, the responses were varied:

“Party with friends and family.”

“How miserably disgusting and outlandishly unsportsmanlike Giants fans are in victory (I’m just the messenger).”

“Losing by one against the spread.”

“The extremely disappointing ending, where the Patriots intercepted the pass that would have otherwise won Seattle the game.”

“The Saints winning in 2009 — Who Dat!! It still chokes me up a bit!”

“Denver, my hometown, beat Green Bay and I got bragging rights over my sister-in-law who had been very cocky leading up to the Denver win :-) She had to wear a Denver Broncos jersey to work for losing the bet, very painful for a Wisconsin girl. If only we would have had Facebook or Instagram back then.”

“Hank, the passed over Clydesdale — and his comeback!”

“It was the first and Green Bay won. Guess who may favorite team is?”

One reader said they hadn’t been to a Super Bowl, but found the most memorable Super Bowl event to be “…when John Madden was telling the nation that the Patriots should take a knee and send the game into overtime, but the Pats went for it (while he continued to say how bad a decision that was) and won the game against the greatest show on turf.”

As for other observations about the Super Bowl, readers offered a number of interesting comments, including:

The Commercials

“There seems to be more and more hype each year for the lame commercials. Come on people, focus on the game!”

“Of course the commercials are the best part! Just wish they would hold the game a little earlier in the day, I am getting too old to stay up that late on a school night!”

“WE LOVE THE COMMERCIALS!”

“I am always a little sad when football season is over. It is a fun way to get together with our adult children to root for the home team. If Denver isn't in the Super Bowl, it is more about the commercials and the halftime entertainment than the game itself.”

“The best Super Bowl commercials were the year they had the Budweiser frogs and the little boy that sucked himself into the Pepsi bottle. None have touched those.”

“Great commercials! Also love the opening and halftime entertainment. On my bucket list to attend one.”

“It is a shame the commercials and halftime show have become what they are just to make money. It takes away from the players, coaches, and the integrity of the game.”

Super Bowl 50

Broncos fan all my life. But a little scared this time around

Let Peyton go out on top, it's the great American story. The commercials used to be better. Thanks to Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction, the halftime show has gotten so "safe" and is sooo boring now.

Once the fantasy football season ends I tend to lose interest in football — mostly because by that time the Lions are out of it too. I do like to watch a bit of the game, and I guess I'll root for Denver because my cousin lives in that area. But mostly my TV will be tuned to puppies and/or kittens on the big day.

Hoping for the final glory — Peyton winning.

So happy the Patriots are not in the Super Bowl. Now I can relax and enjoy the game regardless of who wins. But I'll root for the Broncos just because they did us the favor of knocking out the Cheaters from New England.

I was very disappointed to see my Patriots go down on Sunday. Denver was energized and the Patriots' offensive line could not give Brady the protection he needed, forcing him to get rid of the ball too quickly. Given that my team didn't make it, I'll root for the commercials

Rooting for the Panthers as much as against the Broncos. I'm way beyond my fill of Peyton Manning for one year. I've had enough of Nationwide and Papa John's too, can't wait for them all to go away. Between their commercials and the political ads, I may just boycott TV for the next two weeks. Is it baseball season yet???

And the Super Bowl Generally

Love how the Super Bowl brings out the party atmosphere (great food!) among so many people of all ages!

Let us enjoy this spectacle now. With the injuries, identifiable concussion and long term mental risks — will there even be a game or anyone willing to watch in 20 years?

Amazing, the amount of time, energy, emotion and money that is expended on a single 3 hour game.

How the NFL has grown and geared this event for the non-traditional viewer (one who is not a weekly watcher). It is an event not to be missed even when your team (in my case the beloved Giants) are home watching too.

Helps me to focus on the Super Bowl instead of the YARDS of snow!

But this week’s Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who noted, “The event is way over-hyped. But it's a fun day on the American cultural landscape.”

Thanks to everyone who participated in our weekly reader poll! Got a burning question on your mind that you’d like to run past NAPA-Net readers? Post it in the comments section below, or email me at [email protected].

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