This past Sunday, we all witnessed one of the greatest games in sporting history - Puppy Bowl IX. Airing on Animal Planet, this annual competition of cuteness beats out any Super Bowl blackout, overly sexual GoDaddy commercial and dare I say even the Beyonce and Destiny's Child halftime performance. In its ninth consecutive year, the puppy all-stars played their hearts out on the field while winning their way into our hearts on gameday.
While not exactly dividing the puppies into teams, the game was extremely competitive with much "intentional growling" and at times some "unnecessary ruff-ness." Touchdowns were scored when a puppy would bring a chew toy into the end zone. I must say the coaching of the pups left much to be desired, with most of the athletes uninterested in ball but rather playing with each other. However, that is pretty understandable, as every puppy is under four months old.
Still, there were a few standouts that not only got the game but flat out dominated from start to finish. Crowned MVP (Most Valuable Pup) after the game, Marta was a little scrapper who, despite being bullied in the middle of the field, would sneakily grab the ball and take it in for the score. While not the most valuable on the field, the cutest was Aurora, the Siberian Husky/Retriever mix. Some of the other puppies may have been making fun of her weight, but in my opinion she was just a little husky.
Beyond the on-the-field excitement, just as much fanfare surrounded the Puppy Bowl as the Super Bowl. With heavy sponsorship from "Despicable Me 2," the minions from the movie had better commercials than Budweiser and Samsung. The cheerleader hedgehogs and kitten halftime show were adorable, but not much could compete with the live tweeting bird Meep (@MeepTheBird) and the blimp steered by a hamster.
While all of the pups we saw this year will not make a return to the big game next February, there will without a doubt be another group of precious pups battling out on the gridiron in the Puppy Bowl X. Tune in next time to not miss out on the guaranteed cuteness.
Contact AnkurChawla at achawla@nd.edu
