Even the pope has a Super Bowl spot
The Super Bowl isn't just the height of sport, it's also the height of branding. Now, it looks like the pope is getting in on the action.
The pontiff stars in a 50-second spot that will be shown to tens of thousands of fans in Houston's NRG Stadium early in the game. Instead of shilling terrible food or a fizzy beverage, His Holiness details how the marquee event for a league plagued by traumatic brain injuries and domestic violence is a nice metaphor for a peaceful world.
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The pope also talked -- unironically -- about how nice sports are because it helps us learn to follow the rules, which we can only assume is a subtle troll of the notorious spy-gating, ball-deflating New England Patriots.
He also called for the game to be seen as "a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity to the world," securing the ad's place in the pantheon of heartfelt Super Bowl ads, alongside the Budweiser clydesdales and the Pets.com puppet.
What this actual, old pope didn't mention is the currently popular, fictional young pope, an omission that will surely be dinged on Monday morning by advertising experts for failing to get on board with a trending topic.
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
