To avid professional football fans and others, Super Bowl XLVI was an exciting contest.

Many Americans were glued to TV sets, in their own home or the homes of family, friends or neighbors. 

Still more folks than we Crimson Tide fans like to think gathered just for the party. Think of it as indoor tailgating.

Thanks to Eli Manning and his penchant for 4th Quarter comebacks, New York’s Giants defeated New England’s Patriots 21-17.

Now, let’s click to another channel for another sport — of sorts.

In this other sport, the season is just under way. The Super Bowl for this other sport is coming up in November.

In this sport, all regular season games are played on the road. So far, campaign teams have played away games in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, where people gathered for the party in caucus and primary booths.

On each of those party nights, avid fans of this other game turn the TV on in order to learn the score.

In football and presidential politics there are similarities and differences; we have touched here on just a few. That said, ready for this Truth Shot?

Both are real, but one is after all is said and done, a game. The other is — really real!

In Super Bowl XLVI, the teams are called Giants and Patriots.

In Super Bowl 45 coming this November, the teams are called Democrats and Republicans and perhaps some wild cards will run onto the field.

In Super Bowl XLVI, you knew the names of each individual performer, their individual records, and their contributions to their team, the league and even society. 

Fact is, even their individual character is well known thanks to the media’s willingness to report on their celebrity. If you happened to miss something of note,’ you can easily search for it on the Internet in order to review it and assess the information as you choose.

For the coming November Super Bowl we know the names of the announced wannabes. but do we really know their individual records, their individual contributions to state, to country and our society as well as their character?

And, why is it that the ‘something of note’ information and facts, if you will, seem to not be so easily found for fact-check and assessment? Yes, part of that problem is that the media plays favorites. 

Like most of you, I had a pick in Super Bowl XLVI. I knew going in that whoever actually won Super Bowl XVLI, no one would really lose.

But, the November Super Bowl is an entirely different matter.

Come November, if the major league political teams refuse or fail to put only real Patriots in the field, we will all lose.

Richard Olivastro is president of Olivastro Communications. Contact him at: Rich Olivastro@gmail.com or by phone at 1-877-RichSpeaks.