On a weekend full of sports ball heroics, the ballsiest performance still belongs to a woman.
By Owen Panettieri (playwright, lyricist)
I like the Patriots. I like that they always win. I like going into work after any given Sunday during football season with the likelihood that my team of choice has done better than my coworkers who favor the Giants or the Jets. I don't like the politics of their owner, their coach or their star quarterback Tom Brady. I don't like the fact that they consistently season after season run into big problems with bending the rules in their favor. Anyone who's not a fan of the team, believes they are the world's biggest cheaters and those who are fans would counter that they're simply the best cheaters. And don't I deserve the best?
Everyone who hated the Patriots wanted them to lose badly to Falcons. For 3 quarters, it looked like they were going to get their wish. The trailed 28-3 in the third, and no team had ever come back in a Super Bowl by more than 10 points. And the lopsided nature of the first three quarters made the game pretty boring. Tom Brady was way off. It wasn't like his receivers were dropping the ball, he was overthrowing and under-throwing. They had no success running the ball. They were completely out of rhythm for most of the game. But just when it looked like the Falcons were going to put the final nail in the coffin in the 4th quarter, their fortunes totally reversed. A holding penalty on the Falcons offense and a tremendous sack by the Patriots defense, knocked the Falcons out of field goal range and from that point on it was all Patriots. That launched the most improbable comeback in Super Bowl history, scoring 25 unanswered points, forcing the game into a first-ever overtime and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The ending couldn't have been more dramatic. People are calling it the best Super Bowl ever. It might be the most surprising, but I feel like I've seen better back and forth matches that were more exciting to watch from beginning to end. Still a win is a win, and the Patriots are the champs again!
It was sweet revenge for Brady having been suspended for the first 4 games thanks to Deflategate two seasons ago. Many people have been comparing the Patriots surprise win to that of the Donald Trump winning the presidency. After all, they were both unpopular heading into the final stretch, then written off by the media when it seemed they'd all but lost, but then found a way to pull off an improbable win. There's one key difference here which I think is important. Trump has no experience in politics and basically failed upward into the job. You can't say that about the Patriots or Tom Brady. You don't win 5 Super Bowls without working your ass off and knowing what you're doing. You take hard hits. You get injured. You still find solutions. Say what you will about the team, or Brady as a person. You can't tell me that he didn't deserve the win and the Super Bowl MVP. He was out on that field, took his lumps, picked himself up and delivered when he needed to the most. His success has come from being consistently great at the game he plays year after year. That's pretty incredible.
While Brady had an amazing night and was a good choice for the game's MVP, there was another MVP on the TV this weekend. Melissa McCarthy showed up on TV twice and scored a touchdown on both occasions. First, she made an unannounced appearance on SNL as White Press Secretary Sean Spicer. McCarthy went FULL OUT in her portrayal of the combative Spicer. McCarthy is fearless. The results are one of the best live sketches SNL has produced in years. She's so strong and smart and irrepressibly funny. It was a comedy masterclass. I could watch it 100 times ans still think it was the most brilliant performance that deserved revisiting.
After that, McCarthy made an appearance in a Super Bowl commercial for KIA, In the ad, McCarthy answers the call to help protect endangered specials and environmental lands, but all her efforts result in huge physical cost for her in the most hilarious fashion. She is not afraid to look silly in order to land a joke. I could not stop laughing at this one.
So thank you, Melissa McCarthy! Tom Brady might be the Most Valuable Player for 2017, but you were the Most Valuable Performer for the weekend. Two touchdowns, and no fumbles. Great job.
OWEN PANETTIERI is the author of the awarding-winning plays Vestments of the Gods and The Timing of a Day. His play A Burial Place had its world debut in NYC in 2016. Member of Playwrights Gallery in NYC. www.owenpanettieri.com
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