Super Bowl XLV: Part I

Many people watched Super Bowl XLV this past Sunday played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In fact, USA Today reported, "Sunday's Super Bowl on Fox helped the game set a record as the most-watched TV Show with 111 million total viewers" (Hiestand 1A). That is more than last year's Saints-Colts game that I had reported on in an earlier blog. For these next two entries I want to switch the focus away from helmets to point out two observations I made about the game. First, I want to call attention to the quickness of NFL cameras. Once a play was completed the replay was given instantly. I once watched an NFL Films Presents episode in which Steve Sabol discussed how NFL cameras had improved. After first, he said, it was not until after the game that they were able to process the film to show it on television. Later, with advancements in cameras, they were able to show game clips during halftime. That was followed by highlights before commercial breaks. Now, technology has made it possible for replays to be immediate. Media technology has improved the speed of the game which has led to more coverage.