You wanted it, you’ve got it. Check these out – #HarBowl, all-Harbaugh Bowl, the Brother Bowl, and on and on and on. Welcome to the NFL’s “Dream Game,” as the Ravens and the 49ers will meet in New Orleans for the Super Bowl with two brothers squaring off as head coaches for the first time in NFL history.
Think you know Jim and John Harbaugh? Just wait until kickoff. You’ll know more about the Harbaugh family than you even know about your own families. Can you imagine Jack and Jackie Harbaugh’s (the parents) house right now? That poor couple won’t be able to step inside the supermarket without being asked about the Super Bowl. Who are you rooting for? Will you wear split shirts? Which son is the favorite? Will you cheer? If there was ever a time for a getaway vacation, this would be the time, especially to a European country where football is a form of soccer.
We all know what’s coming in the next two weeks. The brothers will have press conferences where 75 percent of the questions will be about the other brother. Every major television and news corporation in the United States will be beating down the door to the Wisconsin home of Jack and Jackie Harbaugh wanting that exclusive sit-down interview. Since Oprah struck out trying to land Manti Te’o on her show, maybe the Harbaugh family will be a good back-up option.
The NFL got the matchup it wanted – two brothers, two great organizations, great storylines and hopefully a great game. If any year could be deemed the perfect matchup, this year may have earned that distinction.
The family stories and the Harbaugh connections will rule the airwaves over the next two weeks. As a sports fan, I would obviously love more attention on the game itself. But as someone who respects the media and the industry itself, how can you not be drooling over this matchup. By the end of it, fans, including myself, will be sick and tired of the same family stories and the cheesy game names like the ones mentioned above. But when it’s all said and done, the NFL got the matchup it wanted. It’s a matchup that pits a dynamic family duel on the sports world’s biggest stage. Oh, and let’s not forget that one of the greatest linebackers the game has ever seen will be playing his final game on Super Bowl Sunday (Ray Lewis).
So even though the cliché stories about the Harbaugh family will dominate the word as we know it over the next two weeks, know that the NFL got the game it wanted, and the game it needed. Amidst a year following a lockout and ever-going criticism involving the safety of the game, the NFL got a game that everyone will want to watch. A game that will mix family with sports, with the ultimate prize on the line.
If you want football, well you’re going to get that. Just don’t expect much talk about that aspect until Super Bowl XLVII actually starts. Oh, and by the way, if you’re into the drinking game type of thing on Super Bowl Sunday, did I mention that the word “Harbaugh” might be a good one to drink on? Just a suggestion.