It was the most-watched program in the history of
United States television, with 111.3 million US viewers, according to
Nielsen, meaning that over 33% of the American population watched the initial broadcast.
[10]
[edit]Host selection process
Three cities presented bids for the game:
- On January 31, 2008, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau announced their plans to host the game at Reliant Stadium, and holding events at the surrounding Reliant Park, hoping that their city would host the championship game for the second time since Reliant Stadium opened.[11]
- On February 19, 2008, the City of Indianapolis, led by Colts owner Jim Irsay and Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard, officially announced details about their intentions to bid for Super Bowl XLVI.[12][13] Part of the agreement included a proposal to build a practice facility on the campus of Arsenal Technical High School that would be utilized by the school after the Super Bowl.
- On March 6, 2008, one month after hosting Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the second Super Bowl held in the Phoenix metropolitan area, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee led by Committee chair Mike Kennedy formally announced their intentions to bid for another one.[14] Glendale would eventually win its bid for Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015.
A labor dispute had threatened the postponement or cancellation of the game during the spring and summer of 2011; league officials had set contingency plans to postpone the game one week if it had been necessary to postpone regular season games into the second week of January.
[16]Since the dispute was resolved well before the start of the regular season, no postponements were implemented, and the game remained as originally scheduled.
This was the first Super Bowl to be played in Indianapolis, and only the fourth time that the Super Bowl has been played in a cold-weather city, after Detroit (
XVI and
XL) and
Minneapolis (
XXVI).
Downtown Indianapolis, the home of Lucas Oil Stadium, featured an outdoor Super Bowl Village and other programs at the
Indiana Convention Center.
[edit]Background
Per convention as an even-numbered Super Bowl, the Patriots as the AFC representatives had the
home team designation. Super Bowl XLVI was the sixth Super Bowl in which the two teams had competed in a previous Super Bowl match up, as the Giants and Patriots had previously met in
Super Bowl XLII.
[17] Both head coaches (
Tom Coughlin and
Bill Belichick) and both starting quarterbacks (
Eli Manning and
Tom Brady) returned from Super Bowl XLII.
[edit]New York Giants
Working around a series of injuries, the Giants ended with a 9–7 record during the regular season and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2008, winning the
NFC East and finishing the season as the NFC's No. 4 seed. Finally back to full strength, the Giants entered their week 17 match up with the Cowboys with both teams tied for the division lead with 8–7 records. The Giants took a 21–0 first half lead and while the Cowboys closed the gap to make the score 21–14 early in the 4th quarter, the Giants held on to defeat the Cowboys 31–14, clinching the divisional title and a playoff berth.
New York's offense was led by Pro Bowl quarterback
Eli Manning, in his seventh season as the team's starter. Manning set new career highs in nearly every statistical category in 2011, throwing for a franchise record 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions, giving him a 92.9 passer rating. His top target was receiver
Victor Cruz, who caught 82 passes for a franchise record 1,536 yards (3rd in the NFL) and 9 touchdowns. But he had plenty of other targets, including
Hakeem Nicks (76 receptions, 1,192 yards, 7 touchdowns),
Mario Manningham (39 receptions and 523 yards in 12 games) and tight end
Jake Ballard (38 receptions, 604 yards).
Although not on the field for four games due to injury, running back
Ahmad Bradshaw was the team's leading rusher with 659 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was also a reliable weapon in the passing game, hauling in 34 receptions for 267 yards and two touchdowns.
Brandon Jacobs also made a big contribution on the ground, rushing for 571 yards and 7 touchdowns.
New York's defensive line was led by defensive ends
Justin Tuck,
Jason Pierre-Paul and
Osi Umenyiora. Pierre-Paul racked up 86 combined tackles and ranked fourth in the NFL with 16.5 sacks, earning him the only Pro Bowl selection on the Giants defense, while Umenyiora, limited to 9 games because of injury, recorded 9 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. New York also had an excellent secondary led by
Corey Webster, who intercepted a career high 6 passes. Defensive backs
Kenny Phillips and
Aaron Ross added four interceptions each, while safety
Antrel Rolle picked off two passes and led the team in combined tackles with 96.
The Giants joined the
2008 Arizona Cardinals and
1979 Los Angeles Rams as the only other team to advance to the Super Bowl with fewer than ten victories since the NFL expanded to a 16-game season in 1978, and the only one of those three to win the Super Bowl they had advanced to. They have won six consecutive playoff games away from their home stadium, dating back to their victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2007 Wild Card round. That includes their
Super Bowl XLII victory over these same Patriots, although that game was played at a neutral site (and the Giants were the designated "away" team for the game). The 2011 Giants are the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl after having been outscored by their opponents in the regular season (394 points scored, 400 points allowed).
[18]
[edit]New England Patriots
The Patriots finished with a 13–3 record, winning the
AFC East and clinching the AFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs. New England lost two straight games in weeks 8 and 9 against the
Pittsburgh Steelers and the Giants, respectively, before rallying to win their remaining regular season games.
Back at the helm of the offense was 12-year quarterback
Tom Brady, who earned his 7th Pro Bowl selection. Starting every game of the season, Brady completed 65.6% of his passes for a career-high 5,246 yards (the second highest total in NFL history) and 39 touchdown passes, with just 12 interceptions and a rating of 105.6. Brady also added 109 yards and three scores on the ground. His main weapon in the passing game was Pro Bowl receiver
Wes Welker, who led the NFL with 122 receptions (22 receptions ahead of second place) for 1,569 yards and 9 touchdowns. New England also had two of the best tight ends in the NFL: Pro Bowler
Rob Gronkowski, who set new tight end records for receiving (1,327 yards) and touchdown catches (17); and
Aaron Hernandez, who caught 79 passes for 910 yards and 7 touchdowns, while also rushing for 45 yards. Another big element of the passing game was veteran receiver
Deion Branch, who caught 51 passes for 702 yards and 5 scores. Receivers
Chad Ochocinco,
Tiquan Underwood,
Julian Edelman, and
Matthew Slater made minor contributions to the passing attack; the latter two also served as emergency defensive backs.
New England had several key contributors in the ground game. Their main rusher was
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who rushed for 667 yards and 11 touchdowns. Running back
Stevan Ridleyadded 447 yards and a 5.1 yards per carry average.
Danny Woodhead contributed 351 yards with a 4.6 YPC average, and gained another 437 yards returning kickoffs. New England also had a solid offensive line, which was anchored by Pro Bowl guards
Logan Mankins and
Brian Waters. With all these weapons, New England ranked third in the NFL with 513 points.
The Patriots' defensive line featured two Pro Bowl selections:
Vince Wilfork, who generated 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble; and
Andre Carter, who contributed 10 sacks and forced two fumbles. Defensive End
Mark Anderson was also a major force on the line, earning 10 sacks and two forced fumbles of his own. Behind them,
Rob Ninkovichexcelled at linebacker, gaining 74 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two interceptions. In the secondary, cornerback
Kyle Arrington had a breakout season. After recording just one interception in his first three years, Arrington picked off 7 passes in 2011 to lead the NFL in that category, while also making 88 tackles. Linebacker
Jerod Mayo led the team in tackles with 95.
With the victory in the 2011 AFC Championship Game Brady and and head coach
Bill Belichick became the first quarterback-head coach combination to reach the Super Bowl five times, surpassing the record held by
Terry Bradshaw and
Chuck Noll of the
Pittsburgh Steelers' 1970s Super Bowl teams. Belichick tied
Tom Landry for second most appearances as a head coach in the Super Bowl, behind only
Don Shula's six.
[edit]Season and Playoffs
The Patriots and Giants faced each other in New England during the regular season; the Giants won that game, 24–20. Incidentally, the Giants and Patriots had
also faced each otherduring the regular season prior to Super Bowl XLII with the Patriots winning this game and the Giants going on to win that Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLVI marks the 13th Super Bowl that is a rematch of a regular season game. The loser in the regular season had been 7–5 in these games prior to Super Bowl XLVI.
As the No. 1 seed in the AFC, New England earned a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. In the divisional round, the Patriots defeated the
Tim Tebow-led
Denver Broncos 45–10. The Patriots dominated the game throughout, setting new franchise postseason records for total yards (509), points (45), and margin of victory (35). Tom Brady completed 18 of 25 passes for 246 yards and a postseason record five touchdowns in the first half. The Patriots defense had a breakout performance: Tebow was held to just 9 of 26 completions and was sacked five times.
In the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots faced off against the No. 2 seed
Baltimore Ravens. Brady was out-dueled by Ravens quarterback
Joe Flacco, who threw for more yards and touchdowns on the same number of completions and attempts. Nevertheless, New England managed to take a 23–20 lead in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Brady. With 1:44 left in the quarter, Baltimore got the ball back with one last chance to tie or win the game, driving all the way to the New England 14-yard line. But the Patriots managed to hold them there, with cornerback
Sterling Moore breaking up two consecutive Ravens pass attempts in the red zone, including one in the end zone. Facing fourth down, Baltimore attempted a 32 yard field goal by kicker
Billy Cundiff that would tie the game and possibly bring it to overtime. In one of the most memorable endings in NFL playoff history, Cundiff missed the kick wide left, allowing the Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl.
New York finished the season as the NFC East champion and the No. 4 seed in the conference. The Giants defeated the No. 5 seed
Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card round 24–2, the first playoff game at
MetLife Stadium. Eli Manning threw for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, while the Giants defense shut down the Falcons, the only Atlanta points coming from a safety given up by Manning's intentional grounding penalty in his end zone.
The Giants then moved on to face the No. 1 seed and the defending
Super Bowl XLV champion
Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. The Giants never trailed in the game, winning 37–20. One of the key plays in the game was a
Hail Mary pass by Manning to
Hakeem Nicks, giving New York a 20–10 lead at the end of the first half. As they did to the
Patriots' record-breaking offense in 2007, the Giants generated significant pressure on Packers quarterback
Aaron Rodgers, sacking him four times and disrupting his talented receiving corps. This was the first time in NFL history a 15–1 team failed to make it past the divisional round in the playoffs.
The Giants faced the No. 2 seed
San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. After a series of defensive standoffs in the fourth quarter, the game went into overtime. Both teams continued to struggle on offense, until New York linebacker
Jacquian Williams stripped the ball from San Francisco wide receiver
Kyle Williams after a punt return. The Giants recovered the ball at the 49ers 24 yard line, setting up a 31 yard field goal attempt by Giants kicker
Lawrence Tynes. Unlike Cundiff earlier in the day, Tynes' kick was successful, giving the Giants a 20–17 victory.
[edit]Super Bowl pre-game news and notes
The Patriots, as the designated home team, had a choice of wearing their home navy blue jerseys or their white away jerseys. Briefly, there was speculation that the Patriots might wear the white away jerseys in order to switch the jerseys from
Super Bowl XLII, where the Patriots wore dark blue and the Giants wore white.
[citation needed] Also, the Giants are 4–0 in playoff games in their white away jerseys since the
2007 season. However, the Patriots announced on the Monday following the Conference Championship Games that they would be wearing their customary navy blue home jerseys as the home team in Super Bowl XLVI.
[19]
Hospitality experts speculated that "Indianapolis will have seen the most severe hotel
price gouging in Super Bowl history." The city has 6,000 hotel rooms, fewer than typical for a Super Bowl host city. Some rooms in downtown Indianapolis reportedly cost more than $4,000 a night. By contrast, rooms close to the stadium in previous Super Bowls were usually available for about $200. The room shortage and high prices caused some attendees to plan to stay in Chicago, 180 miles away, and ride buses to events.
[20]
Because the Giants and Patriots drew their fan bases from
New York City and
Boston respectively, the Super Bowl echoed the fierce
rivalry between the
New York Yankees and the
Boston Red Sox in
Major League Baseball.
[21][22] Tom Brady said of the rivalry: "There is a great rivalry...between Boston and New York...When I got to the team, it was always Red Sox-Yankees. We’ve had some pretty meaningful games against the Giants over the past few years, so I don’t think anyone is disappointed that it’s the Giants."
[23]
[edit]Game summary
[edit]First half
New England won the coin toss and deferred. This ended a stretch of 14 consecutive Super Bowls in which the NFC team won the coin toss.
[24]
New York got a boost from
punter Steve Weatherford, whose 36-yard kick pinned the Pats back at their own 6-yard line. On the Patriots first offensive play,
Tom Brady attempted a
play action pass, but a heavy rush from Giants defensive lineman
Justin Tuck forced a deep throw into the middle of the field, with no receiver anywhere near it. Brady was
flagged for
intentional grounding, and since he was in the end zone when he threw the pass the play resulted in a
safety,
[25] giving New York a 2–0 lead. It was the first safety in a championship game since
Super Bowl XLIII. After receiving the free kick, New York drove 78 yards in 9 plays—including a key 24-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw—and increased their lead to 9–0 on Manning's 2-yard touchdown pass to
Victor Cruz.
On the ensuing drive, Tom Brady completed passes to
BenJarvus Green-Ellis for 7 yards,
Deion Branch for 15, and
Wes Welker for 19, moving the ball to the Giants' 31-yard line. New York managed to halt the drive at their own 11-yard line, but
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 29-yard field goal for New England's first score early in the second quarter.
The Giants punted on the next drive, then held the Patriots to a three-and-out. When New York's next drive stalled, Weatherford's 51-yard punt gave the Patriots possession on their 4-yard line. Brady, however, completed eight consecutive passes for 71 yards, and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to running back
Danny Woodhead, giving the Patriots a 10–9 halftime lead. The drive went for 14 plays and covered 96 yards, tying the record for the longest drive in Super Bowl history.
[edit]Second half
New England took the second half kickoff and started out strong: Brady completed a 21-yard pass to
Chad Ochocinco (his only reception of the postseason), and two rushes by Green-Ellis gained 25 yards to the New York 33-yard line. Brady eventually finished the 8-play, 79-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Aaron Hernandez, increasing New England's lead to 17–9.
Starting the following drive from their own 35-yard line after
Jerrel Jernigan's 34-yard kickoff return, New York responded with a drive to the Patriots' 20-yard line where Giants
kickerLawrence Tynes converted a 38-yard field goal, cutting the score to 17–12.
On the next drive, New York forced a three-and-out—including a Justin Tuck sack of Brady on third down—and
Will Blackmon returned
Zoltan Mesko's 43-yard punt 10 yards to the Patriots' 47-yard line. New York subsequently drove back into scoring range on a drive that utilized several different players, including a 12-yard reception by seldom used tight end
Bear Pascoe to reach the New England 9-yard line. On third down, however, a sack by New England's Anderson and
Rob Ninkovich forced New York to settle for another Tynes field goal, making the score 17–15 with 35 seconds left in the third quarter.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, the first turnover of the game occurred when Giants linebacker
Chase Blackburn picked off a deep Brady pass at the New York 8-yard line. New York then drove to the Patriots' 43-yard line, but were stopped there and had to punt. New England took the ball back and drove to the Giants' 44-yard line before they too were forced to punt.
The Giants took possession from their own 12-yard line with 3:46 left in the game and only one timeout. On the first play, in what would end up being one of the key plays of the game,
[26]Manning completed a deep pass along the left sideline to receiver
Mario Manningham for a 38-yard gain to midfield. New England coach
Bill Belichick challenged the catch, but call on the field stood and it cost him his team's first timeout. Two more completions from Manning to Manningham gained another 18 yards. Manning then completed a 14-yard pass to Nicks on the New England 18-yard line at the two minute warning. Two plays later, New England called their second timeout with 1:03 left after Bradshaw's one-yard run gave New York a 2nd down and goal on the six-yard line.
New England faced the risk that New York would
run out the clock before Tynes won the game with an almost-certain short field goal. New England thus allowed Bradshaw to run into the end zone on the next play unobstructed. Bradshaw attempted to pull up and stop on the 1 yard line, but his forward momentum caused him to fall across the goal line.
[27][28][29] New York then failed a
two-point conversion attempt. New England had 57 seconds left on the clock, and a timeout.
[30]
New England started at their own 20-yard line to make what would be the final drive of the game. After two consecutive dropped passes, a six-yard sack by Tuck forced New England to use their last timeout facing fourth down and 16 on their own 14-yard line. But Brady kept the drive going with a 19-yard completion to receiver
Deion Branch. An 11-yard completion from Brady to Hernandez advanced the ball to the Pats' 44, followed by a
twelve-men on the field penalty against the Giants, which moved the ball to the Patriots' 49 with 9 seconds left. After an incomplete pass, Brady, on the game's final play, threw a
Hail Mary pass intended for Hernandez in the end zone, but the ball was deflected by Giants defenders. Tight end
Rob Gronkowski dove with outstretched arms toward the ball but was still a yard away when it hit the ground, ending Super Bowl XLVI and giving New York their fourth Super Bowl win in franchise history.
[edit]Box score
Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Giants (NFC) | 9 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 21 |
Patriots (AFC) | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
|
|
[hide]Scoring summary |
Quarter | Time | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score |
Plays | Yards | TOP | NYG | NE |
1 | 8:52 | 1 | -6 | :08 | NYG | Intentional Grounding penalty on Tom Brady in end zone for a safety | 2 | 0 |
1 | 3:24 | 9 | 78 | 5:28 | NYG | Cruz 2-yard touchdown reception from Manning, Tynes kick good | 9 | 0 |
2 | 13:48 | 10 | 60 | 4:36 | NE | 29-yard field goal by Gostkowski | 9 | 3 |
2 | 0:08 | 14 | 96 | 3:55 | NE | Woodhead 4-yard touchdown reception from Brady, Gostkowski kick good | 9 | 10 |
3 | 11:20 | 8 | 79 | 3:40 | NE | Hernandez 12-yard touchdown reception from Brady, Gostkowski kick good | 9 | 17 |
3 | 6:43 | 10 | 45 | 4:37 | NYG | 38-yard field goal by Tynes | 12 | 17 |
3 | 0:35 | 9 | 33 | 5:01 | NYG | 33-yard field goal by Tynes | 15 | 17 |
4 | 0:57 | 9 | 88 | 2:49 | NYG | Bradshaw 6-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed | 21 | 17 |
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 21 | 17 |
|
[edit]Statistics and records
For the Giants, Manning completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. Bradshaw was the top rusher of the game with 72 yards and a touchdown, also catching two passes for 19 yards. Nicks was the top receiver with 10 receptions for 109 yards. Blackburn, who had been cut by the Giants earlier in the season before being re-signed, had 6 total tackles and an interception. Tuck made 3 tackles and two sacks. For New England, Brady completed 27 of 41 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. His top target was Hernandez, who caught 8 passes for 67 yards and one score. Welker added 7 receptions for 60 yards and two carries for 21. Gronkowski, who came into Super Bowl XLVI battling an ankle injury, was held to just two receptions for 26 yards. Linebackers
Jerod Mayo and
Brandon Spikes each had 8 solo tackles, 3 assists, and a forced fumble.
With the win the Giants became the fifth team to win at least four Super Bowls, while the Patriots became the fourth to lose four. Brady has yet to win in Lucas Oil Stadium as a professional and has not won a game in Indianapolis since 2007, when the Patriots defeated the
Indianapolis Colts on their way to a perfect regular season. Belichick dropped to 3–2 as a head coach in the Super Bowl (although, as some NFL players were quick to note afterwards 0-2 since
Spygate), while
Tom Coughlin won his second Super Bowl in as many tries. The news media said that their victory made them NFL's version of the
2011 St. Louis Cardinals, which won the
World Series the previous October and drew comparisons between the two championship teams.
[31]
The Giants became the first team to have won Super Bowl games broadcast on all four U.S. national networks (
CBS,
ABC,
Fox, and now NBC).
The Giants and Patriots became the 3nd and 4th teams (after the
Oakland Raiders and
Pittsburgh Steelers) to appear in Super Bowls in four different decades (both in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s) and the first two to appear in Super Bowls in four consecutive decades. The Giants became the first team in Super Bowl history to win Super Bowls in four different decades (1986, 1990, 2007, 2011). The Patriots became the first team in Super Bowl history to lose Super Bowls in four different decades (1985, 1996, 2007, 2011).
Dan Shaughnessy said in a piece in
The Boston Globe about Boston on the loss to the Giants under the headline, "History Repeats:" "Instead of celebrating a grand slam–championships in every major sport over a period of four years and four months–New Englanders are spitting out pieces of their broken luck, bracing for the avalanche of grief from the New Yorkers they envy so badly."
[32]
This was the second Super Bowl, after
Super Bowl X, resulting in a final score of 21-17, with the winning score including a safety as part of its 21-point total.
[edit]Statistical comparison
Source: NFL.com | New York Giants | New England Patriots |
First downs | 26 | 21 |
Third down efficiency | 5/11 | 6/12 |
Fourth down efficiency | 0-0 | 1-1 |
Total yards | 396 | 349 |
Passing yards | 282 | 266 |
Passing – completions/attempts | 30/40 | 27/41 |
Rushing yards | 114 | 83 |
Rushing attempts | 28 | 19 |
Yards per rush | 4.1 | 4.4 |
Penalties-yards | 4-24 | 5-28 |
Sacks against-yards | 3-14 | 2-10 |
Fumbles-lost | 2-0 | 0-0 |
Interceptions thrown | 0 | 1 |
Time of possession | 37:05 | 22:55 |
[edit]Individual leaders
*Completions/Attempts aCarries bLong play cReceptions
[edit]Starting lineups
[edit]Broadcasting
[edit]United States
In the United States, the game was televised nationally by
NBC.
[34] It was also
streamed live online, both to computers (via NFL.com and NBCSports.com) and mobile devices (via
Verizon Wireless's NFL Mobile
app), the first legal online streaming of a Super Bowl telecast in the USA.
[35][36] Al Michaels called
play-by-play for NBC, marking the eighth time that he was behind the microphone for a Super Bowl and the second time he called a Super Bowl for NBC (Michaels had previously done play-by-play for Super Bowls
XXII,
XXV,
XXIX,
XXXIV,
XXXVII, and
XL for
ABC and
Super Bowl XLIII for NBC).
Cris Collinsworth was the
color analyst for the game, his second Super Bowl as a game analyst and first since he was in the booth for
Super Bowl XXXIX for
Fox.
Michele Tafoya was the
sideline reporter.
Bob Costas and
Dan Patrick (who also presided over the trophy presentation ceremony) hosted the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for NBC with
Football Night in America analysts
Tony Dungy and
Rodney Harrison and special guest analysts (who were seated next to Costas during the pre-game festivities),
Aaron Rodgers and
Hines Ward. Also helping out on NBC's broadcast were reporters
Alex Flanagan and
Randy Moss and NFL insiders
Mike Florio and
Peter King.
Super Bowl XLVI was carried nationwide on radio over the
Dial Global/
Westwood One radio network, with
Kevin Harlan as play-by-play announcer,
Boomer Esiason as color analyst, and
James Lofton and
Mark Malone as sideline reporters. Locally, the game was broadcast by the
New York Giants Radio Network flagship (
WFAN) and the
New England Patriots Radio Network flagship (
WBZ-FM).
Bob Papa called the game for the Giants with
Carl Banks as his analyst and
Howard Cross as sideline reporter, while
Gil Santos was at the microphone for the Patriots with
Gino Cappelletti as analyst and
Scott Zolak as sideline reporter. Santos and Cappelletti returned for their sixth Super Bowl as broadcast team for the Patriots while Papa and Banks called their third and second Super Bowls, respectively, for the Giants. This was the first Super Bowl broadcast for the Giants not to feature longtime analyst
Dick Lynch, who had retired from the team's radio booth following the 2007 season and died in 2008. As per the NFL's rules, all the other stations in the Giants and Patriots radio networks (as well as
WCBS-AM in New York, which serves as a preseason overflow station for the Giants) carried Dial Global's feed.
[edit]In other countries
NFL International televised the game to viewers outside of North America, with
Kenny Albert and
Joe Theismann calling the English language feed.
Australia | ESPN, One HD, Network Ten | |
Austria | Puls 4 | 120,000 viewers, 45.1 % market share[38] |
Belgium | Be Sport 1, Prime Sport 1 | |
Brazil | ESPN, ESPN HD, TV Esporte Interativo | |
Canada | CTV, RDS | NBC coverage simulcast on CTV and subject to simultaneous substitution. TSN Radio carried the Dial Global U.S. radio broadcast. Estimated 8.1 million viewers, with 50% of national population (17 million people) tuning in at some point (statistics from TSN). |
China | Dragon TV, G-Sports | |
Denmark | TV3+, TV3+ HD | |
Finland | Nelonen Pro 1, Nelonen Pro 2 | Pro 1 finnish commentary, Pro 2 English commentary |
France | W9 | 326 000 viewers, 9.4 % share and 17.3 % in Men 15-49[39] |
Germany | Sat.1, ran.de (online),Sport1+, ESPN America HD | 1.23 million viewers, 27.1 % market share;[40] Sat.1 has been criticised for its vast extent of commercial breaks during its broadcast, e.g. the 9-10 Touchdown and field goal have not been shown live due to broadcast of image trailer[41] |
Greece | Nova Sports | |
Hungary | Sport 1 | NFL Network coverage. |
Ireland | BBC, Sky Sports (UK channels) | |
Iceland | ESPN America | |
Israel | Sport 5, Sport 5 HD | |
Italy | Sportitalia and ESPN America | |
Japan | NHK BS1, NTV G+ | |
Latin America | ESPN, ESPN HD, Fox Sports and Fox Sports HD | |
Mexico | Televisa, TV Azteca | |
Netherlands | ESPN | |
New Zealand | ESPN[42] | |
Norway | Viasat Sport Norge, Viasat Sport HD | |
Poland | Polsat Sport | |
Portugal | SportTV | Live and in High-Definition on SportTV 2 and SportTV 2 HD from 11:00 pm WET. The event was also shown live and in HD on ESPN Americaand ESPN America HD. |
Romania | Sport 1 | |
Russia | NTV Plus [43] | |
Serbia | ESPN America | |
Slovenia | Å port TV | |
South Africa | ESPN | |
Spain | Canal+ 1 | |
Sweden | TV10, Viasat Fotboll, Viasat Fotboll HD | |
United Kingdom | BBC, Sky Sports (both available in HD) | BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra produced its own radio broadcast, with Darren Fletcher and Greg Brady announcing.[44] |
[edit]Commercials
All commercials for the game sold out by Thanksgiving 2011, at an average price of $3.5 million per thirty-second ad, by far the highest rate for
Super Bowl advertising in the event's history.
[45] At least one thirty-second advertisement commanded a price of $4 million.
[46]
Anti-abortion activist
Randall Terry has said he was planning to run an advertisement featuring graphic photos of aborted fetuses during Super Bowl XLVI.
[47][48] Terry was not allowed to air the ad nationwide, given that the networks have a policy under
equal time rules to reject all political and issue related advertising during the Super Bowl.
[49] He was able, however, under the then-current Federal Election Commission "reasonable access" rules, to force up to 35 local stations (those located in states in which the
Democratic Party primaries are within 45 days of Super Bowl Sunday; Terry entered the primary as a
dummy candidate solely for the purpose of this advertisement) to run the advertisement uncensored, regardless of whether it meets
Standards and Practices or Federal Communications Commission guidelines. As of January 2011, Terry had purchased ad time in 11 markets.
[50] The FCC ruled against Terry on February 3, two days before the game, when NBC owned-and-operated
WMAQ-TV in
Chicago refused to air the ad, citing the same equal-time statutes and the fact that Terry did not appear to be a
bona fide candidate.
[51] The largest station to allow Terry to air his advertisement was
WHDH in
Boston, Massachusetts.
[52]
An advertisement from
Pepsi featured
Melanie Amaro, the winner of
season one of the
Fox series
The X Factor.
[53] Other confirmed advertisers included
Doritos (continuing its
user-generated "Crash the Super Bowl" contest),
Bridgestone,
Volkswagen (a 60-second spot advertising the third-generation
Beetle featuring dogs barking to the tune of "
The Imperial March"),
General Motors (four for
Chevrolet and one for
Cadillac),
Toyota,
Hyundai,
Acura (featuring
Jerry Seinfeld in an ad for the
NSX),
[54] Kia Motors (advertising the
Optima with a spot starring
Adriana Lima),
Audi (parodying the
Twilight series with an ad for the
S7),
Honda (starring
Matthew Broderick in a reprisal of the lead role in
Ferris Bueller's Day Off), newcomers
Dannon Yogurt and
Century 21 Real Estate,
[45] Teleflora,
Mars, Incorporated (introducing the
M&M's brown spokescandy),
The Coca-Cola Company,
CareerBuilder.com (reprising their chimp advertisement campaign),
Cars.com,
Skechers,
Relativity Media (running four advertisements for
Act of Valor),
[55] Paramount Pictures,
Walt Disney Pictures, and
Universal Pictures.
[56] Anheuser-Busch has purchased nine slots during the game.
[57] An advertisement for
Priceline.com killed off the "Priceline Negotiator," ending
William Shatner's role as spokesman for the company, a role he has held for over a decade, to make way for a new campaign that will premiere during the game.
[58]
Chrysler aired a two-minute half time advertisement titled "Half Time in America", produced by the
Wieden+Kennedy agency and narrated by
Clint Eastwood.
[59] The ad drew the criticism of several leading U.S.
conservatives, who suggested that its messaging implied that President Obama deserved a second term and, as such, was political payback for Obama's support for the federal bailout of the company.
[60] Both Chrysler chief marketing officer Olivier François and Chrysler Chairman and CEO
Sergio Marchionne denied that the ad was intended as a politically oriented message.
[61] Overall, the ad was considered one of the better ones that aired during the game.
[62]
There has also been some conjecture regarding the possible plagiarism of Australian band John Butler Trio's song "Zebra" by Yogurt giant Dannon. Spokesman for the band, Tom McNamara, commented that the band was currently exploring their proprietary rights with regards to the similarity of the tune to the bands hit single.
[63]
[edit]Entertainment
Word had leaked as early as October, 2011 that
Madonna would be the performer for the
Super Bowl halftime show,
[64] with
M.I.A. and
Nicki Minajperforming as well; all three are featured on Madonna's new single "
Give Me All Your Luvin'" which was performed as part of the show.
[65][66] The league confirmed Madonna as the performer on December 4.
[67] Other collaborators on the project included
LMFAO,
Cee Lo Green, long time Madonna collaborator
Jamie King,
Cirque du Soleil, and Moment Factory. M.I.A. came under controversy for giving the
middle finger during the performance of "Give Me All Your Luvin'", which was caught by the broadcast feed. The gesture was given when she appeared to sing "I don't give a shit," although it was hard to hear clearly if the expletive was said, stopped short, or cut off as the censor unsuccessfully tried to blur the screen to cover the gesture.
[68]The setlist included "
Vogue," a medley of Madonna's "
Music" and LMFAO's two largest hits ("
Party Rock Anthem" and "
Sexy and I Know It," with the singers remaining fully clothed, unlike in the latter song's music video), followed by "Give Me All Your Luvin'," "
Open Your Heart," "
Express Yourself" (in a duet with Green), and the finale, "
Like a Prayer".
The coin toss ceremony featured the recent inductees to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Curtis Martin, one of the inductees, was originally selected to toss the coin,
[72] but in what
NESNdescribed as "a rather awkward scene", referee John Parry ended up flipping the coin himself while Martin stood beside and watched.
[73] The Patriots won the toss, the first AFC team to do so in the Super Bowl in 15 years.
[74] Because the coin toss landed on heads, the pizza chain
Papa John's offered free pizza to millions of Americans who participated in a promotional contest.
[73]
[edit]References
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[edit]External links
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New England Patriots
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