Super Bowl 2002: Red, white and who won?
   Baseball may be America’s pastime, but football is definitely America’s sporting passion.
The clash between the Rams and the Pats was an unexpected one. It was the story of two very different teams.
Many believed that Kurt Warner and his Rams would dominate the field and run the Patriots out of town, but it became obvious that was not going to happen.
The Patriots exhumed class the entire game. First, by Coach Belichick allowing Quarterback Tom Brady to finish what he had started. Second, by being introduced as a team and not as individuals.
It was a shame to have Drew Bledsoe sidelined after being healthy. He too had contributed to the success of this Patriots team.
In a race against time it looked as if America would have its first overtime in Super Bowl history, but Adam Vinatieri proved that was not in the cards.
Pats win by a 48-yard field goal as the clock ticks to zero. The Patriots had done it. They had lost to the Packers in 1997, but on Sunday night their stock went up, way up.
No one could have chosen a more perfect team to win. It was a night for patriots everywhere.
This year’s Super Bowl was a display of the fervor and passion that has always consumed this country on the football field, but this year there was a focus off the field and on a small country across the world.
When terrorists attacked the United States many things changed. The one thing that has always brought this country together is the Super Bowl. It is the most watched sporting event and Super Bowl XXXVI was no different.
Well, it may have been a little different. Without question it was a very subdued Super Bowl week. The sudden upset by the Patriots did not leave much time to make hotel accommodations or get tickets. There was a definite lack of Patriot fans running around in the French Quarter.
Fans, as always, were treated to a host of new commercials hitting the airwaves. This year, however, in a spot paid for by Monster.com, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani addressed the nation and sent his thanks.
No one can deny that the mood was a patriotic one. A star-studded pregame show included Sir Paul McCartney, Wynonna Judd, the Boston Pops, Mary J. Blige, Marc Anthony and Patti LaBelle.
Fans were entertained to songs of freedom and hope, but perhaps one of the biggest differences about the evening was the unprecedented security measures taken.
When has anyone ever considered New Orleans the safest place in the country? Not often, if ever.
Due to tight security measures taken by the government, the Super Bowl was designated a National Security Event.
Secret Service agents maintained the security within the Superdome, but outside the Air National Guard was patrolling New Orleans air space and the Coast Guard was patrolling the Mississippi River. All railroad operations were shut down.
The Louisiana Superdome encompasses 52 acres and has 40 million miles of fiber optic cable running through it. Cyber cops were employed to ensure that hackers could not take control of the Dome and possibly shut off the lights.
It truly was the safest place in America.