Pierre Garcon has become known for supplying the NFL with dramatic storylines. The wide receiver for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts defied the odds by catching for over 700 yards this year after having only four catches as a rookie out of Division III Mount Union College. In addition, he helped lead the Colts to Super Bowl XLIV with a record-breaking performance in the AFC Championship Game.

Unfortunately, it's a somber event that's added the latest chapter in the personal narrative of this rising star. As the son of Haitian immigrants, Garcon watched with the result on January 12 as a massive earthquake devastated Haiti. The country now has an estimate of 200,000 people dead and 1.2 million homeless.

"People down there don't deserve for this to happen. Nobody deserves anything like this," Garcon told USA Today.

It’s clear that Garcon has been thinking about the tragedy on and off the field. In the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets, he caught an AFC Championship record 11 receptions while catching for 151 yards and a touchdown. During the post-game celebration, he draped the Haitian flag over his shoulders as he held the Lamar Hunt Trophy. Off the field, he inspired students at his alma mater, Mount Union, to raise $10,000 for the relief efforts in Haiti.

To this reporter, Garcon is an inspiration not only to those wanting to overcome long shot odds, but to those who feel helpless about Haiti.

"All I'm trying to do is have them not think about what they are going through," Garcon told USA Today.

Super Bowl Bites: Glutster Cajun Dip

By Javier Cabral

Time for a confession: I’m not a sports nut. So the Super bowl is just another game—at least, for me. I know. I know. For many, the Super Bowl is an unofficial American Holiday-- a time of gathering, a time of excitement and a time of expensive commercials. But there is one thing I can get behind this weekend: food. The Super Bowl is a great opportunity to eat with friends.

The Super Bowl is less than two weeks away and most people tune in to watch their favorite players or team battle it out. Others tune in for the halftime show—waiting for another Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction to happen—or to simply watch the commercials.

One commercial viewers won’t get to watch is from ManCrunch.com, a gay dating website. The CBS network rejected the commercial. CNN quoted CBS spokesperson Shannon Jacobs “After reviewing the ad, which is entirely commercial in nature, our standards and practices department decided not to accept this particular spot" CBS also said it turned down the commercial because of financial reasons.

According to ManCruncher’s spokesperson, Elissa Butcher, CBS’s rejection is “straight-up discrimination.” It's hard not to disagree with Butcher because the stereotype of who watches the Super Bowl— aggressively straight alpha males—wouldn’t want to see an ad for a gay dating site. Last year's Super Bowl had it's highest viewership ever of 98,732,000 fans.

If the company makes an eye-catching commercial and can offer to pay $2.5 million why not have a slot on the Super Bowl? It would have been nice to change the tradition.
 

Watching the Super Bowl is not just about watching your favorite player, team, or performance. It's also about watching the commercials. Pepsi has announced that its 23-year-long Super Bowl commercial career is coming to an end. The soda company said it will use its money for a new marketing effort that’s mostly online. Pepsi has had the best commercials, but unfortunately we won’t get the chance to see another of those classic commercials after 2010.

The average 30-second super bowl commercial costs $3 million dollars. Pepsi was one the biggest advertisers in this year’s Super Bowl and has been since 1987.

“Pepsi had been a major advertiser during the Super Bowl. According to TNS, the company spent $142.8 million on the 10 Super Bowl ads from 1999 to 2008, second only to Anheuser-Busch, which spent $216 million. The brewer of Bud Light confirmed Thursday it will have 5 minutes worth of advertising in the 2010 Super Bowl.”

(via ESPN)

The company has decided to dedicate its time to a new project, the“Pepsi Refresh Project.” This project will pay $20 million to programs created by the people to “refresh” communities. Pepsi will have a website—that is expected to go live on Jan 13—where people can post projects like teaching children how to read, or how to organize a group to collect and deliver food. Users can then vote for the project that deserves funding. It looks like Pepsi is trying to give back to the community with its new project.

Will this new project be as succesful as their commercials? I don't know. One thing is clear; Pepsi stepping down leaves room for their rivals, Coca Cola--who has spent in the last decade $30 million dollars on Super Bowl ads—to come out stronger than ever.

Check out this video of top ten Super Bowl Ads of 2008—in which Pepsi came in at number 1 and 3.