The Super Bowl's Big Day
Super Bowl XLII was bound to make history, no matter who won the game. On February 3rd, 2008, the New England Patriots were entering the game undefeated, the first time a team has done so since the Miami Dolphins did it back in 1972. That Dolphins teams when on to beat the Washington Redskins to complete a perfect undefeated season. Could the Patriots do the same?
All football enthusiasts thought they could, except for the New York Giants of course. Nobody really believed this underdog team could beat the Patriots, but when the Giants won the coin toss that gave them possession of the ball at the beginning of the game, they were off to a lucky start.
Still, critics had their doubts. Did the Giants’ new quarterback, Eli Manning, have the right stuff for a championship? Manning proved that he did. He led an 83-yard drive in the final minutes of the game that culminated in a pass to Plaxico Burress, who scored the winning touchdown. Against all odds, the Giants beat the Patriots 17-14.
But that wasn't the only amazing feat that day. The televised game became the most watched sporting event in U.S. television history, and became the second most watched show in American history after only the final episode of M.A.S.H., a popular TV drama from the 1970’s and 1980’s. It is reported more that 98 million people watched the game, nearly one-third of the 300 million people who live in the United States. Now that's super!