Overdone Patriotism Mars Game

In fact, the lunacy that preceded Super Bowl XXXVI -- soon to be known forever as the "Patriotism Bowl" -- started with the celebrities who, for some still-unknown reason, were asked their championship picks by ESPN.com.

Take the esteemed (ahem) senior senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Edward Kennedy. Why, Ted, will New England bring home a title to the six-state region for the first time since the Boston Celtics reigned supreme in 1986?

"This year of all years, a team with the name 'Patriots' has an extra advantage that can make all the difference."

Of course. The logic and wisdom behind the words of the learned Kennedy ring so true, no?

Well, if you can't trust a Kennedy, surely you'll acknowledge the wit of Miss America herself, Katie Harman, who said she picked the Patriots because "I'm Miss America, and I'm feeling very patriotic."

Again, the intelligence and common sense of a true American representative like Harman bring a star-spangled glow to my true-blue heart.

But so it went, with luminaries as important as Carrot Top to those as respected in their fields as Leeza Gibbons spouting off their views as to why the obviously all-American Patriots would win the Super Bowl.

Although the Pats did come through with the greatest Super Bowl win in history, why was there this commonality in the responses of the nation's intelligentsia? More importantly, why did the Super Bowl -- at its heart, only a game -- become a pseudo-symbol of the American spirit?

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the sports world has responded in various ways, from publicly appealing for blood donation to postponing and even cancelling various games and events.

At the World Series, the national anthem and the seventh-inning-stretch singing of "God Bless America" became poignant reminders of the events that ripped the innocence and naivete from the United States.

But Sunday, there was something about the blatant, overdone patriotism showed at New Orleans' Superdome that smacked of overzealousness -- or maybe even exploitation.

Maybe it was the power quintet of Yolanda Adams, James Ingram, Patti Labelle, Barry Manilow and Wynonna belting out a melange of patriotic favorites while seemingly thousands of flags adorned the field.

Maybe it was the eerie, endless march of women dressed in red, white or blue Statue of Liberty costumes, replete with fake torch in hand.

Maybe it was the steady stream of children dressed as the "common American," or the little boy in fatigues who rang a large, faux Liberty Bell.

Maybe it was the soft-focus, overdramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by football greats and former presidents.

But most likely, it was at the end of the one moment that actually struck a chord deep in my heart that I realized how insulting and ridiculous the outward celebration actually was.

While Bono's raspy voice blared through "Where the Streets Have No Name," an imposing, telling list lifted from the stage at midfield. The seemingly never-ending cloth bore the names of those killed on Sept. 11.

It was a moment in which the horror of the mindless violence came rushing back, making me pause and question my initial skepticism.

But at the end of the song, the curtain dropped. And I'll be damned if a corporate logo -- a red, white and blue E*TRADE logo, to be exact -- didn't pop up on the television screen.

After all, nothing's more patriotic than online personal financial services.

Ian Gordon can be reached at igordon@email.unc.edu.