The Super Blog.. er, Bowl...

So I do not write about sporting events very often, but the Super Bowl is not really a sporting event, is it? It is generally one of the worst games of the year

As you probably know, the Super Bowl is this weekend...
Featuring the New England Patriots vs. the Panthers
USAToday.com has profiles of both the Patriots and the Panthers

There is a ton to read about the games...
ESPN is ready to go, of course...
As is Sports Illustrated...

The Age of the Bargain Quarterback [WSJ, 1.30.2004] There's a simple way to predict the Super Bowl's outcome: For four consecutive years, the team with the lower-paid passer has won the big game.

As you know, some people watch the game mostly for the ads...

Many Watch Super Bowl for the ads [AP, 1.29.2004] The Super Bowl continues to be about marketing as much as sport, according to people who say they watch the broadcast for more than football.

And there is an entire Web site dedicated to Super Bowl ads... of course there is! AdBowl.com ramps up for Super Sunday You can vote for your favorite ads while watching the Super Bowl. (Via AdRants)

Super Bowl Are Ads Less Extravagant [WSJ, 1.30.2004] Advertisers are taking a tamer approach toward this year's Super Bowl, and some agency people think lingering uncertainty about the economy is fostering the more conservative climate.

Super Bowl Remains Must-Buy TV [NYT, 1.29.2004] A preview of the Ad Bowl and analysis of what this year's event will mean for advertisers.

Love, Wisdom and Dentures Star in Super Bowl Ads [Reuters , 1.27.2004] Three things to remember when watching this Sunday's Super Bowl: You can't munch on potato chips without your teeth, finding a new job should feel like falling in love, and sometimes the underdog prevails.

New Crop of Odd Super Bowl Ads to Debut [AP, 1.22.2004] A new crop of contenders will be taking their shot at immortality at next week's Super Bowl, but they won't be doing it on the football field.

Some Ads to Run During Super Bowl [AP, 1.22.2004] The Super Bowl has become as much a competition among the top creative minds in the advertising industry as it is for NFL players and coaches. Here is a preview of some of the contenders for this year's advertising battle...

and a rundown of the ads themselves... ESPN readers rate the best ads MISC Super Bowl links... Most of these come from Poynter's always interesting Al Tompkins Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest day of the year for the fast-food delivery business. USA Today reported: More pizza will be sold Feb. 1, Super Bowl Sunday, than any other day of 2004. Pizza has become to Super Bowl Sunday what eggs are to Easter. Or candy canes to Christmas. Experts say that's no accident. It's not just because pizza marketers are pushing it so hard. It's also because pizza is the one food that seems to best meet three game-day criteria: It's cheap. It's easy. It's social. People eat a lot of guacamole on Super Bowl Sunday. The Santa Ana, Calif.-based California Avocado Commission said avocado sales for the Super Bowl are about five percent of the annual total. "This Super Bowl Sunday," the CAC said, "Americans will dig into 43.5 million pounds of guacamole, enough to cover Reliant Stadium's football field over seven feet deep, end zone to end zone." Here are some low-fat food tips for Super Bowl parties. Super Bowl coverage is known for what ads run each year. Adweek has coverage. The iTunes ad already has leaked out. What's the connecction between the outcome of the Super Bowl and the direction the stock market will take for the rest of the year? MSNBC explains that one. What's the connection between the Super Bowl and sex? A questionable but interesting survey. Canadian researchers have found a significant jump in the number of car crashes after the Super Bowl telecast. The study, published last year, said that people who supported the winning team were less likely to be involved in a wreck than those who rooted for the losers. ABC News reported: The results aren't surprising, says Dr. Tareg Bey, an emergency room physician and associate clinical professor at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. "People have drunk alcohol and are in a 'winner' or 'loser' mood. Both can be dangerous when driving a vehicle," Bey says. However, the study found those in a "winner" mood were involved in fewer accidents. There is no truth to the story that domestic violence increases on Super Bowl Sunday. The Houston Chronicle takes a look at the story. Also the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported just before the Super Bowl last year: Last year on Super Bowl Sunday, 45 incidents of domestic violence were reported. An average Sunday in Las Vegas in 2002 had 53 domestic violence incidents. In 2001, 54 people reportedly were attacked during domestic disturbances on Super Bowl Sunday. That was five more than the average Sunday for that year, according to police figures, but far from the most violent day of the year in Las Vegas households. For more super Bowl Legends and Myths, see "Super Bowl Lore: Part of the Game." Also David Mikkelson of the Urban Legends Reference Pages reviews the same myths in "Super Bull Sunday." I like what MSNBC did with the Super Bowl story. They have a cool little interactive screen to play with. Especially if you have not followed the game much before this weekend, it is a quick tutorial to become "Bowl Literate."