A Super Bowl Memory (From a Nonbeliever)

8/13/2019 A Super Bowl Memory (From a Nonbeliever)

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This year (2014) Im making a lot of fun of the Super Bowl. So often the game has !een

an anti"lima# (less so in the past $e"a$e I will a$mit% sin"e 200& the games ha'e !een

!etter) an$ a few of the stupi$est most !oring sports e'ents in all re"or$e$ history ha'e!een Super Bowls Im talking a!out you Super Bowl * so !oring you "oul$ hear

your gums swell or you Super Bowl *III where no!o$y $i$ nothing ever. +'en famous

games su"h as Super Bowl I* were e#"iting more for the surprise of the result than forthe rather $ow$y game itself.

If I ha'e to root for anyone this year Ill root for Seattle !e"ause I ha'e family in Seattlean$ I woul$ like them to ha'e a ni"e time. ,ay!e Im -ust getting ol$er an$ am $rifting

away from things the younger ohnny use$ to "are a!out. /ertainly I was ne'er a huge

fan. 3lso though its way too mu"h hoohah o'er way too little a single game that

"ant really !ear up un$er all the glit5 an$ sprit5.

The threeweek layo'er !etween final playoff an$ the Super Bowl is -ust $um!. It has

always !een $um!. It has always !een a huge mistake. +'en $iegar$ fans $islike it. 3n$

the game itself is known !y some reporters as The 6uiet Bowl sin"e true sta$iumwi$e"heering is rare most seats !eing fille$ with luminaries $ignitaries an$ ri"h men with no

team to root for an$ only a pau"ity of pla"es for a"tual people willing to shell out a"tualearne$ money for seats of ri$i"ulous pri"e. The whole thing stinks.

7et one of my $earest family memories "omes from Super Bowl I 189: playe$ in the/oliseum in os 3ngeles. That meant of "ourse that folks where we li'e$ ;range

/alifornia were !la"ke$ out. In the last two $e"a$es the lo"al !la"kout has fa$e$ as a

!usiness pra"ti"e. a$

appeare$ with a !roomsti"k a !un"h of hangars a $rill one of those long antenna "a!lese'eryone ha$ "oile$ in the !a"k of the T* in those $ays !ut e#tralong a !ra"e an$

s"rews. >a$ an o!stetri"ian was home only intermittently on the !est of $ays.


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It was a sunny warm $ay as anuary $ays "an !e in /alifornia. I re"all the normal shut

upletme$othis $is"ussions little ki$s running aroun$ trying to see !a!y Shannone#ploring the house on foot ,om asking how it was going e'ery minute or four.

3t a "ertain moment >a$ was "onne"ting the long "a!le running it through the sli$ing$oor out into the !a"k yar$ an$ ,i"hael was !ran$ishing this tall monstrosity in the air

this !ristling pole of hopeful wires ra!!it ears !e"ome $ragonhea$e$ listening tower

hel$ aloft like the 'anguar$ of a puissant army. I ha$ ne'er seen either of them as happyor as e#"ite$ !efore with the a$$e$ salsa of $oing something a little other than stri"tly

legal sipping off for!i$$en streams stealing what the powerful $enie$.

But woul$ it work? San >iego was unwilling at first. >a$ ha$ ,i"hael walk aroun$ theyar$ turning the antenna this way that way almost falling in the pool as the aDueous

snowy pi"ture wo!!le$ in an$ out. =e -umpe$ E oo there aw no gone E FTimGH

s"reame$ ,om when for a moment there was a sharp image E 'oi"es "ame in an$ out

a"k =hittaker /urt ow$y 'oi"es we knew E >a$ !arke$ Fisneylan$. /ape Aenne$y.

,ay!e it was then or may!e it was -ust !efore the game !egan E !ut the pi"turestea$ie$ an$ set as if resigne$ to its fate of a"tually !eing re"ei'e$ an$ seen. ,y !rothers

"an "orre"t me if they rea$ this !ut I $ont think the pi"ture was in "olor or at least not

often in "olor. But you "oul$ see it. ,om a!out fell off the "ou"h in sheer high spirits.>a$ was happily prou$ of himself ,i"hael e'en more so he "laime$ he$ foun$ the

!est pla"e for the antenna.

+'eryone wants to remem!er a time when the whole family was together an$ happy. 3n$


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many of us ha'e no su"h memory. ife $i$ not allow us to ha'e families3n$ we were. I

$ont remem!er mu"h a!out the game e#"ept that first tou"h$own pass from Bart Starr

to the $runkan$hungo'er (although the worl$ $i$ not know it) ,a# ,"ee thrown!ehin$ him so he rea"he$ almost non"halantly !a"k snagge$ it elu$e$ a mu"h younger

faster $efen$er an$ rum!le$ with surprise into the en$ 5one. It was nifty an$ we were

wat"hing San >iego. =e all sai$% FThat was goo$ an$ we so it so "learlyGH ust ha'inga fourth "hannel in a three"hannel worl$ was a re'elation an e#pansion of the "osmos

an$ ha'ing this little peek 'ia >I7 te"hnology working somehow -ust as the newspapers

sai$ it might "onne"ting us with e#oti" faraway San >iego showing us (I remem!ertalking a!out this) a pi"ture of e'ents in os 3ngeles the freakiest triangle e'er -ust

e#alte$ us roofheight. >a$ ha$ four years to li'e. +'erything was approa"hing a hori5on

of "hange $ispersal tough times un"ertainty !argains with har$ship.

Super Bowl I howe'er ga'e us all a gift of lying aroun$ !linking at our group

su""ess !oun$ familywise an$ heartwise seeing something new a promise of a !igger

worl$ men in the air tou"h$owns homema$e re"eption.

,om was prou$ of her plate of "elery an$ sna"ks.

In Brooklyn

i'e 14 years

=hen Im on tour I go where I go. I !een li'ing outsi$e og 3fri"a sin"e 18@ !ut I go

!a"k all the time 2 weeks

; T I 7;K ST37 LKT T


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ammanMs shoul$er. =hy shoul$ men !enthe only one to pay for e'erything. Both of my

hra$mothers !e"ame wi$ows ea"h one refuse$ to remarry an$ wante$ to ha'e her own

life. I sai$ to muyself ;A thats what you $o. 7ou ha'e no more so"ial support youha'e to fin$ yourself some support an$ raise your "hil$ren. They reali5e$ the importan"e

of

I ne'er knew it woul$ !e a "on"ept al!um on a trip to Aenya I starte$ writing songs

a!out womenMs issues. I ha$ -ust finishe$ 'isiting a 'illage. 3t one I was tou"he$ I was

angry I was in pain one mother ha$ sons who "oul$nt walk !e"ause of malnutrition!e"ause the mother is stunete$ from ina$eDuate nutrition the woman was again pregnant.

Joller"oaster emotions struggling to fin$ solutions sa'e the mother an$ "hil$ an$ the

pregnan"y. 3n$ you go to the ne#t 'illage !ut those women were part of a KI/+

program to fin$ nutrition in their own ha!its. It was so !eautiful so positi'em so strong.I sai$ %HTJhis is what 3fri"a is a!out up an$ then $own. +'ery woman is a pri'ilege to

know -ust $i'e into it.H

/hoirs most re"or$e$ in Benin with a !oom!o# an$ a Jolan$ re"or$er. I $i$nt wantthem to !e in a stu$io I wante$ them to !e in what they $o e'ery$ay. Leople were

wat"hing it as if it were a mo'ie. F3ngeliDue is here.H I want the women to tell theirstory. +'erytime I go they thank me so won$erfulluy. I tol$f them what I was trying to

$o an$ they looke$ at me like Thank you an$ I sai$ I thank them they taught me these

songs growing up. I knew their mothers this is a new generation. ,y generation mymom was going aroun$ to "olle"t songs.

I !rought the musi" I re"or$e$ !efore I$ alrea$y re"or$e$ the musi" with Ste'e or$an

/hristian ,"Bri$e in Aenya an$ I took the nmusi" an$ playe$ it to them an$ they sayF3re you ki$$ing us?


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A Super Bowl Memory (From a Nonbeliever)