Super Bowl 43 -- Bird Bowl or Feather Bowl?

The NFL has ordained that Super Bowl XLIII (that's 43 for those of us who don't ordinarily count in Latin) is scheduled for February 1st, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. When the final two teams are selected, it looks like it may be another case of the birds flying south for the winter. At least one, and possibly both, of the Super Bowl participants will be a team named after a bird. The Baltimore Ravens, The Arizona Cardinals, and the Philadelphia Eagles all remain in contention with one game each to prove they are the top bird in their respective conferences. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers, if they beat the Ravens this Sunday, can keep this year's NFL championship game from going to the birds.

Birds to Fly South for Super Bowl XLIII

Of the 32 NFL teams, only five are named after birds: The Arizona Cardinals, The Baltimore Ravens, The Philadelphia Eagles, The Seattle Seahawks, and the Atlanta Falcons. Three of them have flown above the rest of the flock to the top of the field and are posed to play in the Super Bowl. No matter what happens in the Conference Championship games this weekend, at least one bird team will be flying south for the Super Bowl as the Eagles are playing the Cardinals for a perch in the big game.

Super Bowl 43 to be Known as the Feather Bowl?

If the Ravens do beat the Steelers this week, Super Bowl 43 is likely to be referred to as either the Bird Bowl the Feather Bowl. The coaches will, of course, be referred to as the bird brains, and the fair weather fans will come home to roost. Win or lose, players from both teams will feather their nests with a hefty Super Bowl bonus. Last year, winning team members took home a bonus of $78,000 while members of the losing Super Bowl team took home a bonus of only $40,000 above their normal paychecks.

Super Bowl Commercials

One thing is for certain, on February 1^st, 2009, millions of fans all over the world will watch one team soar to victory while the other crashes and burns. Will the teams take to the air with a strong passing game or scratch for every yard on the ground? With any luck, the Feather Bowl will be more entertaining than the Super Bowl commercials. After all, during the commercials only the bull will be flying... For those looking for a preview of the Super Bowl Commercials, a little birdie told me that several upcoming feature films including Star Trek and the Transformers sequel have purchased slots to show movie trailers during the Super Bowl. Reuters is reporting that the 30 second spots for Super Bowl XLIII are being sold for $3 million, compared to $2.7 million for the same spot during last year's Super Bowl XLII.

Parting Shot

If the winning players dump a Gatorade bucket over the coach's head after Super Bowl XLIII, would that be a bird bath?

Sources:

Reuters: reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN0644484220080506?rpc=64

NFL.com