PHOENIX — As part of the celebration of its 100th season, the NFL will break from tradition and feature the Packers vs. the Bears in its season opener Sept. 5. Usually, the Super Bowl champion is the home team for the prime-time opener, but the league wants to salute historic...
Gronk Gets Bonked by Beer Can During Super Bowl Parade
BOSTON — Gronk got bonked. Rob Gronkowski, the New England Patriots' star tight end, says he got hit in the face by a can of beer thrown during Tuesday's Super Bowl victory parade in Boston. Gronkowski told "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" the can drew blood, and he showed...
Super Bowl Ad Winners: Bud Light, Amazon
NEW YORK — This year some of the Super Bowl ads that grabbed the greatest buzz were surprises, like Bud Light's "Game of Thrones" teaser. Other crowd-pleasers focused on humor, like Amazon's take on celebrity product testers. While the New England Patriots bested the L.A. Rams on Sunday in Atlanta...
Flores Passed Over by Hall of Fame Voters as 8 Nominees Enshrined
ATLANTA — The call did not go Tom Flores' way. The coach who guided teams to four Super Bowl victories, including two with for the Oakland Raiders, was passed over Saturday for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Among this year's selections was tight end Tony Gonzalez, who turned...
Cheer for the Rams, but in California High Schools, Even Football Powerhouses Are Losing Kids
If the Golden State has a rooting interest in the Super Bowl on Sunday, it won’t just be because the Los Angeles Rams will be on the field. Roughly one player in six on the Rams’ and New England Patriots’ active rosters is a product of California high schools. Year...
Which Super Bowl Ads Will Stand Out This Year?
NEW YORK — Sarah Michelle Gellar makes a horror movie parody for Olay. Jeff Bridges and Sarah Jessica Parker tout Stella Artois. Steve Carrell hawks Pepsi. Star power abounds in this year's Super Bowl ads. Advertisers are hoping to provide some welcome distraction and entertainment as economic fears persist and...
Will Tom Flores Get Hall of Fame Honor Many Say He Deserves?
After a trailblazing pro football career that includes four Super Bowl victories (two as the head coach of the Raiders), Tom Flores may add another accolade Saturday: Pro Football Hall of Famer. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce this year's enshrinees Saturday, the day before the 53rd Super Bowl. 80 Percent Hurdle...
When Marketing Flops: 5 Super Bowl Ads That Backfired
NEW YORK — Advertisers that spend millions of dollars on the Super Bowl are trying to avoid what the Ram truck company did with a Martin Luther King speech or what Groupon did spoofing promos for charities. Though such messages can get attention, it's the wrong kind of attention. Groupon got buzz...
5 Keys to Picture-Perfect TV Buying for Super Bowl
Buying a TV can be thrilling, yet daunting. To maximize the exhilaration — while minimizing the uncertainty — experts say to pay attention to at least five things. You may be considering a new TV ahead of the Super Bowl, but these tips work throughout the year, too. Size Size alone...
Super Bowl: Pats vs. Rams in a Meeting of Past vs. Future
It began in 2002, back when the Rams were in St. Louis and the Patriots were a plucky underdog standing in the way of a potential dynasty. So much has changed. This hasn't: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. The duo, every bit as formidable now as when they won that...