Superbowling 428
An assortment of Super Bowl tidbits: Supposedly sports gambling sites are being threatened with denial of service attacks if they don't pay protection money - also a Reuters story. Infinitus writes "The NFL's legal firm has a PDF up that outlines the NFL's intellectual property rights to words like 'Super Bowl' and 'NFL'. Including a neat little chart that tells you what you can and can't say..." VeggiePossum23 writes "Panthers Upset Patriots, 29 to 21... at least in the Sony Sponsored '989 Sports Game Before the Game' played on NFL Gameday 2004 on the PS2 Console. This annual event, held Wednesday night in Houston, has a perfect 8-year track record of picking the winner of the Super Bowl. Carolina Panthers Wide Receiver Steve Smith controlled the Panthers, winning an upset victory against New England Patriots' Wide Out Troy Brown, also controlling his own team." lordbyron writes "CBS is doing a SuperBowl of commercials that will include a vote for the best commercial in history. You can watch the top 10 now and make sure that you vote at 9pm on Sunday 1/31. It includes some classics like the Apple commercial and the exploding mosquitos from Tabasco."Wing Bowl.--->
Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:5, Informative)
Pretty effective ad no matter what you US Political viewpoint is.
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:2)
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:5, Insightful)
If that was true then CBS certainly would not run the white house ad that connects marijuana users to terrorism. but that is exactly that they are doing.
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:2, Troll)
Replace "users" with "prohibition" and that statement would be true.
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:2)
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:5, Informative)
The CBS networks still refuses to run our winning ad in the Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest during the Super Bowl. The
MoveOn.org non-partisan campaign to get CBS to air issue ads continues, but we're not going to let CBS's censorship stop us
in the mean time. That's why we're spending over $1 million to air the ad in our swing states and nation-wide on other
channels -- starting with two spots on CNN that will air during the Super Bowl half time.
This Sunday, during the Super Bowl half time show, join us in changing channels on CBS. At 8:10pm and 8:35pm EST, switch
over to CNN to watch "Child's Pay" on a channel which doesn't censor its ads. We'd like to keep a tally of the number of
people who participate -- you can sign up here:
http://www.moveonvoterfund.org/boycott/?id
The number of groups, individuals, and newspapers that have called on CBS to run our ad is remarkable. The National
Organization for Women and the American Civil Liberties Union have asked their own members to call CBS. Senator Dick Durbin
(D-IL) gave a powerful speech about CBS on the floor of the Senate, saying, "Maybe network executives at CBS are so afraid
of political pressure from the right wing and their business advertisers who are in league with the right wing politics of
America that they are afraid to put anything on the air that might in fact make things uncomfortable. If that is the case,
it is time for CBS to announce the name of their network is the 'Conservative Broadcasting System' and come clean with
American viewers."
28 members of the House of Representatives wrote a letter to CBS which stated, "The choice not to run this paid
advertisement appears to be part of a disturbing pattern on CBS's part to bow to the wishes of the Republican National
Committee. We remember well CBS's remarkable decision this fall to self-censor at the direction of GOP pressure. The network
shamefully cancelled a broadcast about former President Ronald Reagan which Republican partisans considered insufficiently
flattering." Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote a separate letter to CBS urging them to reconsider their decision.
Today, the L.A. Times printed an Op-Ed piece of ours which lays out the case against CBS's censorship. That's attached
below. But the editorial pages of the Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, and many other papers came out in our favor as
well. As the Globe wrote, "MoveOn.org's 30-second ad, which has aired on CNN, is a gentle yet powerful depiction of how hard
today's children will have to work to pay off the country's mounting deficit. That's a vital message that might get lost in
a year of campaign rhetoric, and it deserves a response from the White House in its own 30 seconds of imagery. America,
sitting on the couch, junk food in hand, just might sit up and want to know more."
Luckily, there are still some networks that do allow the free exchange of ideas. Please join the one-minute boycott: at
Super Bowl halftime, switch to CNN and watch "Child's Pay," and let us know at:
http://www.moveonvoterfund.org/boycott/?id=2
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:3, Insightful)
Actually, if any of the democratic candidates were willing to pay for the ad from campaign funds (and as required, appear in the ad and indicate their approval) then CBS would be required to either accept the ad or reject all campaign ads for that election cycle. The lack of a candidate or ballot issue actually does this ad in...
No, you are "Wrong. Wrong wrong." (Score:3, Insightful)
It may be censorship in the exact definition of the word, but not in the big brother way you're all thinking of it.
Come again? It's not censorship except in the sense of fulfilling the definition of censorship? What makes you think that no-one but you understands the distinction between censorship and government censorship? Where do you get off saying that the parent poster is "Wrong. Wrong wrong." based solely on the fact that you don't think others are capable of understanding the words they use?
Re:If you can call 1.3 Trillion (Score:4, Insightful)
Obviously, Clinton wasn't a perfect president (such a thing has never existed). I disagree with him on plenty of issues (blowjobs, for one). But against a president to whom "getting things done" means giving away money to the wealthy, when we're already spending it faster than we're making it, I'd take Clinton any day.
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes, apparently even you. I was under the impression that censoring [m-w.com] simply meant to screen and edit out any material found to be objectionable.
This ad, was, apparently, objectionable as far as CBS was concerned in terms of their goals: To keep and maintain as many viewers as possible to maximise their advertising revenue.
A book publisher not publishing a book that he finds objectionable is censorship too.
Of course, most
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:2, Troll)
you're kidding right? move on is almost a wing of the democratic party. go look at their site. There is no need to inject politics into something people just want to enjoy. I think CBS made the right decision. give it a rest.
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Don't forget the ad CBS is refusing to air. (Score:5, Insightful)
CBS defends the policy by saying that if they allowed issue ads, large corporations could buy time to push their favorite issues and it would disenfranchise us folks with smaller ad budgets. Eli Pariser of MoveOn responded by pointing out that this creates an awfully friendly environment for the status quo, and those same corporations. We have oil company ads but no anti-oil ads, shoe company ads but no sweatshop ads, drug war ads but no decriminalization ads.
What we're really getting here is a one-sided agenda, and, yes, censorship, in the guise of fairness.
They won't run PETA's ad either (Score:4, Interesting)
Now watch this post get marked down as a troll because somebody with mod points eats meat, and thinks information like this shouldn't receive attention.
Re:They won't run PETA's ad either (Score:2)
Seriously though. How can you consider PETA's statement about impotency accurate? They come up with all sorts of crazy things trying to stop people from eating meat, or using animals for some byproduct like milk that people drink, etc.
I for one could not make it on eating stuff grown in the back yard. I'm allergic to most soy products and to most artificial sweetners. It's not that I don't like them, it
Don't forget CBS is helping MoveOn (Score:5, Insightful)
CBS is making a smart business decision not to air this ad. Why should CBS want to bring in unneeded controversy into the Super Bowl that would distract from the game? Since it has a product that is in high demand for advertisers, CBS can pick and choose which advertisers it wants to fill in those 30 second gaps between plays. Also, if you are spending $2 million an ad as advertiser would you want your commercial message to be drowned out by adjacent partisan political message? Heck no! This would make it hard for CBS to sell the ad space next to the MoveOn ad.
This isn't political censorship, its smart business on the part of CBS.
Radio Contests (Score:5, Insightful)
Mario
Re:Radio Contests (Score:5, Interesting)
That's not all... (Score:5, Interesting)
The Falcon's compound is also used for coporate meeting and classes. I was their for one. During my lunch break I went outside to get some fresh air and eat. I happend to be looking at the Falcons standing around talking - it was about fifty yards away, no fences or anything else to obstruct my view - when a police cruiser pulls up. The cop then told me that there's no looking. I responded with something along the lines of, if it's that important to be secret, why don't they put a fence up? The cop told me that it's "NFL RULES." and I have to move along. He says he has to tell people who are on McDonald's property the same thing.
So, I guess NFL's rules supercede our civil rights.
Re:That's not all... (Score:3, Insightful)
Football IP? (Score:5, Funny)
Funny, I never thought I'd see "intellectual", "SuperBowl" and "NFL" in the same sentence
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Football IP? (Score:2)
Re:Football IP? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Football IP? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Internet Access at the Superbowl (Score:2, Interesting)
protection money... (Score:3, Interesting)
I will not say that most gambling site are operated by/for criminals, but say that a good percentage of it are the operations of some legitimate business mans ?
My experience in this domain is that they will be able to get their hands on some money, but that said money will be delivered by Vito and Guido, and they'll be made an offer that they cannot refuse.
Maybe spammers should start spamming the mob too. Kill two birds with the same stone ?
Re:protection money... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:protection money... (Score:2)
Top Ten? (Score:2)
Apple? Coke? Of course.
But what about the monkey ad? What about the Bud Bowl? (The commercial with about eight sequels) Who voted for these?
3 words: (Score:2)
BOB DOLE!!! (Score:2)
What plugin? (Score:2)
pregame (Score:2, Funny)
1024 of your closest friends (Score:5, Insightful)
Do this for 8 years and four of your friends thinks you are a genius and the remaining 1020 have forgotten the whole thing.
This works with stock tips and is a scam that has been used for ages.
CBS Censors MoveOn.org Ad (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
just luck (Score:2)
In other words, there's a 0.9961 that if you flip a coint 8 times, you're not going to predict the superbowl right all 8 times. However, that means that you only have to repeat your 8-coin flip experiment 1000 times to make it 98% likely that in one of those 1000 8-coin-flips, you're going to predict the winner correctly each time.
Re:just luck (Score:2)
A prediction mechanism that succeeds despite a 99.61% chance of failure is usually considered a reliable in most scientific fields. Calling 8 consecutive coin flips correctly usually indicates some better-than-flat-chance prediction going on.
Of course, this could be the one year that the video game prediction indicator goes bust. Video games tend to accent star players, and that clearly happened in this year's "Game before the game" when the same player for the Panthers
la times op ed piece from moveon.org (Score:2, Interesting)
By Eli Pariser
Campaigns Director, MoveOn.org Voter Fund
http://www.moveon.org/r?484
When the Super Bowl is beamed into living rooms around the world Sunday, you can expect to see TV spots hyping cars, beer, razor blades, three different erectile dysfunction cures, toilet paper and snack foods.
The ads will be slick and clever, lavishly produced, brilliant in their marketing. Some, no doubt, will be sexually suggestive or violent. Most will cost $2 million to $
Copyright and Trademark Laws (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd love to see this stuff hold up in court. Has it before? I doubt it.
It is perfectly legal (and EXPLICITLY legal) to use trademarks in news and mention as long as they don't cause brand confusion.
Also, the use of copyrights to protect news is not legal. No one is allowed to rebroadcast the the coverage of the game verbatim, but nothing prevents someone from relaying the general events from the game. This is in the First Amendment, and there are no exceptions.
--Re:Copyright and Trademark Laws (Score:3, Interesting)
At least... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:At least... (Score:2)
A sneaky dupe! (Score:2)
Huh? (Score:2)
direct links and synopses (Score:5, Informative)
Any of you folks running linux may not have the best RealPlayer integration in your browsers, so here are the direct links to each of the RealMedia files, with a brief synopsis of each commercial (but no "spoilers").
Slashcode will probably embed spaces in these URLs, so you may have to manually remove them.
I quit watching television about seven or eight years ago. However, I try to catch the Super Bowl every year, if only for the commercials. In fact, I've always told folks that if there was a channel that just played commercials all day, I'd probably tune in to it.
I imagine it could be like VH-1 Classic, with an hour for commercials from the 50s, another from the 60s, etc. Maybe a "groundbreaking" commercials hour. Maybe one with ads from various countries.
I'd tune in, anyway.
Re:direct links and synopses (Score:2)
It embeds space in any sequence of charaters that doesn't contain enough white space.
And thanks for the links.
Re:direct links and synopses (Score:2)
WTF? (Score:2)
username: azsxdc@azsxdc.com
password: password
I have the original commercial on my drive, but I don't think my server can handle a slashdotting - if anyone wants to host it, I'll send it to them.
oops (Score:2)
Heh, Felcher...
Script Kiddie Hitmen (Score:2, Funny)
I visualize Joe Pesci sitting in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant, hacking in VBScript.
Who else _isn't_ intrigued by the Super Bowl? (Score:3, Flamebait)
As you're probably aware, the local government has also installed a multi-million dollar light rail system that many speculate is intended specifically to transport passengers from downtown to Reliant Stadium. Metro has removed one lane from streets traversed by the light rail system; commuters are "warned" of oncoming traffic by a single light encouraging them not to cross the track. Ten serious traffic accidents have already been attributed [chron.com] to this implementation, which is reportedly being scrutinized by citizens and Metro engineers alike.
This event is an exhibition of corporately funded "sports," pop stars endorsed by the RIAA, and the "best" television commercials. It astonishes me that the Slashdot community is so ravenously infatuated. With the possible exception of SCO, this encompasses everything that you are supposedly adverse to.
Re:Who else _isn't_ intrigued by the Super Bowl? (Score:2)
10. Person made an illegal left turn and hit a train head on.
9. (Couldn't find article referencing the 9th accident.. it goes from 8th to 10th)
8. Union Pacific (railroad!) workers manually lift a warning gate and drive under. However, the warning gate was functioning properly and a train was coming, which struck the vehicle.
7. (same as 9)
6. Same circumstances as #10, different intersection.
5. No article
4. No ar
Heres a summary (Score:3, Funny)
The first rule of Super Bowl: You do not talk about 'Super Bowl'
The second rule of Super Bowl: YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT SUPER BOWL
The third rule of Super Bowl: The words: Super Bowl, Super Sunday, NFL, AFC and NFC are all trade marks of the National Football League. If you utter or taint them we WILL kick your fucking head in! OK?
canada sucks (Score:2)
with ad critic charging for money, hopefully there'll be a place to download (or bittorrent) the ads after the game - like we did last year!
NFL = No Fun League (Score:5, Insightful)
The NFL is definately the No Fun League.
Re:NFL = No Fun League (Score:5, Informative)
Perhaps you should check again. From 17 USC 110:
I've been involved with copyright issues for over 25 years and I've seen the Copyright Act go from a fairly straightforward document to one that's filled with exemptions and intentional loopholes, some that actually benefit the consumer at the expense of corporate interests. Those are the minority, to be sure, but they're in there [copyright.gov].
k.
threatened with denial of service attacks (Score:5, Funny)
Finally, a viable business model for Slashdot.
Trademarks! (Score:3, Funny)
Well, I said all these things without permission from the National Football League (oops, there's another one). Come on then, lawyers! Come after me for using these trademarked words without permission!
This is legal bullshit taken to the extreme. So if there's a Black Sunday scenario tomorrow, the news networks aren't allowed to say "There was a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl" but have to say "There was a terrorist attack at the Big Game in Houston"? Madness.
Super Bowl! Super Bowl! Super Bowl!
what words? (Score:5, Funny)
In this contest, between Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots, extremely wealthy men will forgo their normal environment and put on many pounds of gear to play whimped down version of Rugby. The winner of the game will be the champion.
Of course, this is entertainment so the true relevance is the demographic that it delivers to the advertisers. In this sense, the Super Bowl will once again fulfill it's primary mission.
One also suspects that many Americans, for the first time, will know the existence and location of Carolina.
Questionable Industries welcomes all Super Bowl guests to Houston. We will be scalping tickets on the corner of Fannin and Holly Hall. We will also be offering certified disease free hookers along Holly Hall and Murworth, conveniently grouped by age. The 18 year olds will be in the Excalades, the 19-21 year olds will be in the Explorers, and 21-25 will be in the Durangos. Hookers over this age will be conveniently located in their normal environment of the Holly Hall apartments. The males will be in the blue cars and females in the pink cars. Please do not be racist and expect certain ethnic types. We are a class operation!
A limited number of 12-18 year olds will be available in the customized vans. Younger hookers are available with 24 hours request, as they must be brought in from Mexico.
What the heck (Score:3, Funny)
No, it does matter (Score:3, Funny)
It wasn't mentined (in the articles) that these threats demanded they buy a
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:5, Interesting)
Beyond those who watch it because they love the game, like me, there are the people that watch it because it's an EVENT. It's an excuse to throw a party. Every culture on Earth has numerous holidays that are fairly meaningless except for as excuses to throw parties. This is one of those days for the US.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:2)
Cricket doesn't need any words to make it look silly! Though possibly cricket is similar to american football in that both games seem impossibly long and dull to those not interested in them whereas I presume fans view it differently.
Yup... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Yup... (Score:2)
Re:Yup... (Score:2)
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:5, Funny)
The Superbowl represents the pinnacle of all this, the wheat having been separated from the chaff throughout the regular season and post-season.
It's a chance for American Football aficianados to gather over pizza, chicken wings, potato chips, shrimp cocktail, and copious beer, and cheer on one team or the other.
For the fans in the home city of a Superbowl contender, there is a level of excitement that would probably embarrass a British person to death. Scottish people, on the other hand, would quite understand.
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:2)
That's strange, I don't remember too many Americans jumping up and cheering when they see footage of Vietnam or Iraq.
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:3, Informative)
Go back to watching your TV, citizens.
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:3, Funny)
Oh come on...
As an American, I demand you get it right.
War is way down on the list:
10) Replacing small towns with Wal*Mart's
9) Killing Babies
8) War
7) Traveling to Europe while wearing sneakers.
6) Starving little children.
5) Pissing off liberals
4) Driving SUV's
3) Eating MEAT MEAT MEAT
2) Living in huge, but cheap, houses.
1) Being right.
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:2)
Ok, I'll bite. When's the last time you heard the words "hooligan" and "riot" associated with American football?
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:2)
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:2)
Re:Being English, I have to ask... (Score:2)
2 teams of 11 (Score:3, Funny)
Re:2 teams of 11 (Score:3, Insightful)
There are 2*11 players in a football game. It's called "team spirit" : 11 players, only one spirit, so they learn to share.
That's nothing (Score:2, Funny)
Re:2 teams of 11 (Score:2)
Re:Streaks (Score:2)
Re:Hey, if we're talking about CBS... (Score:2)
Re:Hey, if we're talking about CBS... (Score:2)
Re:Hey, if we're talking about CBS... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Hey, if we're talking about CBS... (Score:5, Interesting)
Not true, they air such ads all the time when they come from the Democrats and/or the Republicans.
Basically, they're too controversial and the networks don't want to show anything that might make people want to change the channel.
And ads for three different drugs that induce erections aren't?
Yup, sucks...
Yes, it does. Hence my pointing it out.
but that's the way things work.
Or to put it another way, we live in a totalitarian state.
And this has nothing to do with the first amendment, CBS is a corporation, the first amendment only applies to the government.
A very simplistic reading of the situation. Those our are airwaves. The very fact that the networks can be given exclusive access to those airwaves on the one hand and then be allowed to suppress speech is de facto government censorship.
Re:Hey, if we're talking about CBS... (Score:2)
Equal Time Rule (Score:2, Interesting)
This is an overly simplistic statement. The electromagnetic spectrum is a public resource. It is thus subject to less First Amendment protection than other mediums and subject to more government regulation.
There are First Amendment considerations at issue, such as the Equal Time Rule [museum.tv], which in essence, "a station which sells or gives one minute to Candidate A must sell or give t
Re:Incorrect date (Score:3, Informative)
The CBS special airs tonight, Saturday, 1/31, at 9 PM EST.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Superbowl? (Score:2)
Re:Superbowl? (Score:2)
make sure that you vote at 9pm on Sunday 1/31
That's tommorrow? Shows how much interest I have
Actually, I've got Saturday 1/31/2004 here.