Skip to search.

Breaking News Visit Yahoo! News for the latest.

×Close this window

Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Fri Dec 16 02:04pm EST

Critiquing the official poster of Super Bowl XLVI

By Chris Chase

The official poster for Super Bowl XLVI was unveiled this week. Designed by famed Indiana artist, Walter Knabe, it depicts Lucas Oil Field, a football, a famous Indianapolis statue and stars. Lots and lots of stars.

"I wanted it to be pretty democratic so that everybody would get it, and I wanted it to be celebratory." said Knabe, who has designed artwork for Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan.

Critiquing the official poster of Super Bowl XLVI

I'd say Knabe accomplishes his goal. I don't "get" much art, but after viewing this piece, I'm aware that Super Bowl XLVI is in Indianapolis and will be played with a football. Some other pluses and minuses:

Pluses

-- Knape's last name is very close to Leslie Knope's, Indiana's most famous politician and waffle lover.

-- No reference of the Indianapolis 500.

-- The statue is solid and, incidentally, has a higher QBR this season than Curtis Painter.

-- No reference to the Indianapolis 500. I can't state how impressive that is. It's practically city law that anything relating to Indianapolis must relate in some way to auto racing.

Minuses

-- Another year and the NFL is still stubbornly clinging to the antiquated Roman numeral distinctions for each game. The league probably can't wait to get to the simplicity of 2016's Super Bowl L, which unintentionally looks like a far lesser game than 2006's Super Bowl XL. Don't wait that long. Even the "Rocky" movies stopped counting after getting to V. Get rid of the Romans. I know it's tradition, but so was playing without a facemask.

-- What exactly is the purpose of that orange stuff on the side of the football? It looks like the remnants of a Pat McAfee night out in town.

-- Remember when you first got Microsoft Paint and could make shapes of different size and colors? That's what all those stars remind me of.

-- The statue, "Victory," is from Indy's Soldiers and Sailors Monument. As I said above, it looks cool, though I doubt anyone outside Indianapolis, or those who read this news story, could have identified it.

digg delicious

Related Articles

Launch Article Browser

Shutdown Corner

Add to My Yahoo! RSS

Related Photo Gallery

More NFL Photos »

Y! Sports Blog