Jackson receiving too much attention

Joe Ellison

With a record 37 fourth-quarter points and a game-winning last-second field goal, Super Bowl XXXVIII finished without a doubt as one of the most exciting events in sports history. So why in the world is Janet Jackson's revealing of her breast during the halftime show the biggest story?

I realize Jackson was lacking a little exposure lately, and this wasn't the best time or place for her to exhibit herself, but I blame our prudish society for overblowing this relatively harmless situation. There should have been no need for dancing partner Justin Timberlake to call this overtly staged event a "wardrobe malfunction."

In our hypocritical society, a television viewer can watch breasts on cable all the time, but somehow showing a bare-breasted woman during a football game is a crime. That just doesn't make any sense.

The hypocritical NFL and CBS want to be like the NBA and appeal to younger viewers, so they allow MTV to produce the halftime show. Anyone who watches regular MTV programming and its suggestive dancing knows what to expect from MTV productions. But greedily the NFL and CBS ignored the obvious, and now continue to milk this meaningless breast story for much more than it holds. Consequently, Jackson will not be allowed to perform for CBS at the Grammys, and the Pro Bowl halftime show has been changed.

This is a subject where other countries are decades ahead of America and are laughing at us for being so hung-up. Jackson's exposing of her breast was barely noticeable, and there's no reason why we shouldn't have been allowed to watch the partially-clothed third quarter male streaker, either. Ironically the Lingerie Bowl displayed less skin (only one panty tackle reported) and viewers were forced to pay for that event. The Janet Jackson incident really is no big deal, and it is time for America, the land of the free, to grow up.

As far as the game was concerned, because of the great finish it was the most watched Super Bowl in history and certainly worth waiting two weeks for. Besides the drama, there was the longest play ever in a Super Bowl, and the rare occurrence of a linebacker catching a touchdown pass. There was great contrast in action with the first and third quarters being scoreless defensive struggles, and the second and fourth periods showcasing offensive explosions. With the score 0-0 with 3:15 left before half-time, who would have thought that the final would have been 32-29?

When one looks at the statistics, New England was a deserving winner. The Patriots outgained Carolina by almost 100 yards, they led comfortably in first downs 29-17, quarterback and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Tom Brady completed a record 32 passes, and the Pats dominated in time of possession 39 minutes to 21. In the trenches New England's offensive line held Carolina's highly touted defensive line in check by allowing zero sacks. Also, in a surprise, the Panthers' vaunted running game failed to outrush the Patriots'.

Still, Carolina could have won the game if not for some critical errors. Looking at running back DeShaun Foster's stats - three rushes for 43 yards including a 33-yard touchdown, and one reception for nine yards - clearly the physical Foster and his outside speed were not used enough.

Time management at the end of the game also was a factor. Carolina needlessly burned a time out with under two minutes left inside the Patriot 20-yard line. That left 1:08 on the clock after the Panthers' tying touchdown instead of 30 seconds. Jon Kasay's subsequent kickoff out of bounds compounded that dumb mistake and enabled the Patriots to take the ball at their 40 for their winning field goal drive.

- Pro Bowl - The NFL's all-star contest Sunday is all about offense. It is illegal for defenses to blitz or stunt, so quarterbacks and running backs are allowed to take over the game. That gives the advantage to the AFC, with league co-MVP quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Steve McNair, and ball carriers Jamal Lewis and Priest Holmes. On the other end of the field will be Philadelphia coaches and players such as QB Donovan McNabb, who come here disappointed after losing a third consecutive NFC championship.

Last year the score was AFC 45-20, in 2002 it was AFC 38-30, in 2001 it was AFC 38-17 and in 2000 the final was NFC 51-31.

Prediction: AFC -3 and Over 48-1/2 points.

- The NHL All-Star Game is also Sunday. Last year most people expected an ultra high scoring affair because of the return of the Eastern versus Western Conference instead of North America versus the World format. But the final was only 6-5.

Prediction: Depending on what the number is, I'm cautiously picking the Under.

Joe Ellison is the Nevada Appeal Betting Columnist. Contact him at editor@nevadaappeal. com.