Football Between the Ads

Used to be a person looked forward to Super Bowl Sundays.

The event has changed.

Too many ads.

At least four hours of expensive Super Bowl advertising has been scheduled Sunday night on the Fox network. In between, luckily, snippets of football hopefully may be seen.

To discover how the game ends, and which team was victorious, check the morning papers.

Advertisers love the Super Bowl for the huge audience it draws. And it draws one of the biggest.

A 30-second TV message costs advertisers about $3 million. Interested?

If you are going to watch the Super Bowl on TV Sunday night, and I am NOT, be prepared to hear and see multi messages from a cadre of 30 separate advertisers.

GM, for example, has eight ads scheduled -- five during the game, two before the game, and one after the game.

Here's one you will not see. An adult dating service ad hosted by porn queen Savanna Sampson was scratched by Fox and the NFL when it was deemed the ads were targeted towards would-be adulterers The canceled advertiser screamed discrimination.

But there is an ad considered racy which you will see. GoDaddy.com has come in for some criticism using Jillian Michaels and Danica Patrick performing hot hot hot racy routines. Answering the flack, Michaels said it's “OK to be sexy, OK to have fun, and OK to be racy.”

Doesn't matter. Still too many ads. Too many message breaks. Too many appeals to “stay with us.” Less and less time to enjoy the game.

Ads on TV are out of control. I have timed commercial breaks on normal cable TV and have clocked more than seven minutes of continuous “messages” in one long lineup.

At our house, we have two video recorders. We record our favorite programs, watch them at a later time, then zap past the commercials. It's stress-free TV.

If you are one of those weird persons who love Super Bowl TV ads, go to www.superbowl-ad.com and you can indulge in 13 years of past TV messages.

Some of the 30 advertisers lined up Sunday include a movie promo Kung Fu Panda. Sure to be a hit.

VW is featuring a youthful Darth Vadar as it advertises a 2011 Passat model car as a “Force In The Universe.” Then there's the “:Black Beetle” by VW in a car chase to end all car chases. Can't wait.

Here's one to watch “Monk-e-maker.” Go figure.

As for Sunday night, our recorder is set for the game. Buffet menu approved. Wine purchased on Saturday. We'll watch the game Monday night. During the Sunday night game, I've saved a couple of American Pickers episodes we haven't watched yet. Who knows. Mike and Frank might visit a junk collector who's “hot.”