Aaron Rodgers, Troy Aikman, Sen. Dan Coats, Troy Aikman, Louis C.K., Bill Nye.
More talking heads have debated this issue than there are big heads in the general admission bleachers of Assembly Hall.
Anyone who’s anyone has weighed in on “Deflategate.” So here’s my final take: Let it go.
Whatever pressure was lacking from those footballs went directly to the media coverage — it’s full of hot air.
What’s worse, we wasted a whole week on over-inflated commentary while a Super Bowl that has the potential to be the greatest of this decade was treated as an afterthought.
This Sunday, defending champion Seattle Seahawks will take on the defending repeat champion (2004, 2005) New England Patriots.
The Patriots will compete for their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy in 13 seasons. During the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, New England has now made six Super Bowl appearances.
And yes, I think the media hype surrounding DeflateGate is connected to the Patriots’ winning reputation. If this was any other team, this story would be a blip on the ESPN ticker — a story that lasts a day, maybe half.
This matchup is rich with story lines: Brady versus Richard Sherman and the touted Seahawks’ secondary. Belichick versus Pete Carroll, a game of wits between two coaching masterminds.
Yet here we are sitting around like adolescent boys — unable to stop talking about our balls.
The past week and a half of media coverage has played out more like an “Saturday Night Live” skit than anything, with press conferences so chock-full of innuendo they would delight any 13-year-old.
I’m all for protecting the integrity of the game. But if we’re choosing our battles when faced with issues such as player safety, drug use and domestic violence, I think I’ll fight for something a little more substantive.
Sure, Deflategate will fill the sports section, but where’s the integrity, the ingenuity, the — I don’t know — journalism?
We’ve spent a week and a half hyping an investigation that has no definitive conclusion.
Now, it’s time to talk about the real news, the story that deserves to be hyped. It’s time to talk about Super Bowl 49.
Both teams had to overcome adversity to reach the Super Bowl. For New England, it was a 41-14 rout against Kansas City — a loss that, what do you know, the media blew up to catastrophic portions.
For Seattle, it was an improbable come-from-behind win in the NFC championship game, a story deserving tremendous coverage, unlike “balls.”
If you have a bone to pick with the Patriots — and let’s face it, who doesn’t? — then the Super Bowl 49 venue is your storyline to watch.
Glendale, Ariz., is the site of the famous David Tyree helmet catch, the play that lost New England a perfect season in the 2008 Super Bowl.
Should Russell Wilson hand the Patriots their second loss at University of Phoenix Stadium, he will have won his second title in three seasons, ushering in a new era of football.
However, should Brady win, it will culminate 13 years of success: history, dynasty and legacy cemented.
Yet, despite all the allure of Super Bowl 49, I can’t shake the feeling it has already been deflated.
vziege@indiana.edu
