SAN FRANCISCO -- The morning after Roger Goodell stood below the winners' Super Bowl stage, hugging members of Peyton Manning's family as the confetti swirled around him, the commissioner stepped to a microphone and proudly declared his belief that the weeklong event in the Bay Area had been a smash hit.
Better yet, Goodell added, football fans everywhere seemed to agree with him. "We've had initial reactions on the ratings," he said of the Denver Broncos' victory over the Carolina Panthers, "and they are competitive, at least, if not the most-watched television show in history.