Katy Perry won over the room with one well-timed quip.
Standing before about 1,000 journalists during a press conference for her Super Bowl halftime show, the pop star was asked a hard-hitting question.
Would she, now that she’s single, be eyeing any football players during Sunday’s game?
“I’m just here so I don’t get fined,” Perry deadpanned.
Perry’s Marshawn Lynch impression had the entire room laughing. Wearing a cheerleader outfit that had a pair of strategically placed footballs, Perry also said nothing in her halftime show will be “deflated.”
Thursday was the last of four consecutive days Seattle and New England players have been quizzed by hundreds of reporters. Every possible question about the game has been asked multiple times. A few have even been truthfully answered.
But Perry’s appearance was a reminder that the Super Bowl is so much more than a football game. Sunday, the stadium here will be the focal point of American culture.
Perhaps then it wasn’t surprising that three Seahawks players were asked about issues outside of football.
Russell Wilson was asked about ISIS. “It’s scary,” he said. “There are things all over the world you don’t know what to do about. But I’m sure our troops will continue to protect us.”
Richard Sherman sounded off on the conundrum faced by NCAA student athletes, who he believes aren’t given enough time outside of sports to fully pursue their education.
Michael Bennett ripped what he calls the injustice of nonguaranteed contracts in the NFL, saying “for every dollar we make, they (the NFL) make 7,000.”
With Perry, the sports and entertainment worlds seemingly merged Thursday. But in reality, that happened long ago. Professional athletes are no longer just sportsmen, they’re entertainers.
And American culture puts nobody on a higher pedestal than those who entertain us.
