The enthusiasm started to build. A perfect game, a perfect Super Bowl, a perfect night seemed to hang in the balance. On an evening where the halftime show dazzled and the commercials brought impact, the main event between two heavyweight football teams seemed so close to going my way. With a terrific backdrop in Arizona with all the intangibles falling into place, my favorite team was about to punch it in against the team I despise the most. One yard away from the greatest NFL evening of my life, a premature euphoric feeling started to run through my blood. Then it all went away.

Working in athletics I learned to never take wins and losses too seriously. I mean come on, especially with a team such as the Seattle Seahawks who I have no affiliation with whatsoever besides being the team I grew up rooting for. But last night hurt a little bit. I went to bed feeling empty and woke up feeling the same. I just felt bad for the players, the coaches, the 12th Man, and maybe even a little for myself. But that is sports. Like I said, last night came one yard short from going down as the most glorious and complete Super Bowl ever for this fan. Even though I will always have a bitter taste in my mouth whenever Super Bowl XLIX is brought up, I will remember some aspects of the evening that almost softened the blow. I would briefly like to offer some quick commentary on the game, the halftime show, and the commercials.

The Game: Okay, let’s get this over with. That game last night was incredible. Two giants from opposite coasts with opposite coaches and opposite personalities battled it out in a nail biter. Russell Wilson was back to being his usual self after the NFC Championship game. Marshawn Lynch was a beast as usual. New England wouldn’t even think about throwing in Richard Sherman’s direction. Patriots had things clicking too. They moved the ball on the stellar Seahawks defense. Tom Brady, despite a couple interceptions, made crucial plays.

That period during the latter part of the second quarter and the initial part of the third quarter was beautiful to watch. The Seahawks built a ten point lead and had the Patriots cornered with a second down and 18 play coming up. New England answered and took the momentum for most of the remaining game, going up 28-24. But not so fast. Russell Wilson ran the two minute drill to perfection and after a miraculous catch, the Seahawks ran the ball to the one-yard line.

My stomach drops when I think of the interception. I hate that Cris Collinsworth got to blast the play call in front of millions of people, molding the perception of the whole country. Pete Carroll’s explanation made total sense. The Patriots were lined up in goal line, the box was stacked. They threw on second down thinking the pass would either be a touchdown or an incomplete pass. If it was a completion, game over. If it was an incompletion, the clock would stop and you would have Beast Mode for two plays. On that particular play, the chances of Marshawn Lynch scoring was less than on third down or fourth down. I get why the Seahawks coaching staff did what they did. Just such a horribly sad way to lose the game.

Halftime Show: I usually say that the majority of the country will bash the Super Bowl halftime show even if it was Jesus coming to midfield to perform miracles. I have never watched a Super Bowl halftime where criticism wasn’t rampant. Last night it was different…and for good reason. I tip my hat to Katy Perry and everyone who made that show possible. High energy, cool effects, good song choice, and even a little inspiring, that was one entertaining production. It was so good in fact that she was able to overcome the out of place Missy Elliott appearance to still make it a show to remember.

The huge tiger was cool and even the Lenny Kravitz duet wasn’t bad (I detest Lenny Kravitz). The now much parodied ocean backdrop with the sharks was a little corny but still fun. But that finale though! Her zooming in the air as she belted out “Firework” with the stadium exploding in pyrotechnics was a really cool moment. I think Super XLIX raised the bar for halftime performances.

Commercials: When I watch the Super Bowl commercials, my expectation isn’t for them to be funny. Rather, my expectation is for the commercials to be well done. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the different spots last night. For sure the whole tone for the ads took a different direction than usual but I was okay with it. I appreciate getting your company’s message across in an impactful way as opposed to a way in which people will laugh but the message will mean squat. Some of the ads last night resonated emotionally with me and in my opinion, that is the best way to spend your $4.5 million.

My favorite commercials? The second McDonald’s spot explaining what exactly the new payment was, the Doritos airplane ad, and the Dodge “century club” commercial.

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I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl in a controlled environment last night. I got to take everything in and truly experience the spectacle of Super Bowl Sunday all the way from 6 p.m. up until the horrific ending. I would like to thank the Seahawks for a great season, the team provided me with a lot of joy. One thing is for sure, I would want no other coach leading my favorite NFL team than Pete Carroll. Don’t Blink.