TIP/Super Bowl experts

Feb. 3, 2011

TO: Editors, news directors
FROM: Stacy Forster, 608-262-0930; Jenny Price, 608-262-8296
RE: TIP/SUPER BOWL EXPERTS

The Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers — two of the most storied franchises in the NFL — meet Sunday, Feb. 6, in the Super Bowl. The University of Wisconsin–Madison has a number of experts who can discuss the Packers, the game, the eye-popping ads and the hoopla surrounding the biggest U.S. sporting event of the year.  

Leonard Shapiro, adjunct professor of journalism, recently retired after 41 years of covering sports for the Washington Post. Shapiro, a UW–Madison alumnus, has attended football’s big game every year since Super Bowl VII. He can talk about the rise of the Super Bowl and its significance, as well as the media interest in it. Contact: badgerlen@aol.com, 608-262-3690, 608-262-3691, 410-570-8447.

Deborah Mitchell, executive director of the Center for Brand and Product Management at the Wisconsin School of Business, is an expert on branding, advertising, consumer psychology and consumer behavior. Mitchell can speak to who’s advertising this year, what makes an ad “good” or “bad,” how social media such as Facebook and Twitter are affecting Super Bowl advertising, and the benefits of advertising during the Super Bowl. In addition, she can speak to the economic and less-tangible benefits for Wisconsin from the Super Bowl effect, among other topics. Contact: dmitchell@bus.wisc.edu, 608-770-0502.

Anna McAlister, lecturer in consumer science, is an expert on consumer socialization of young children and can talk about how events such as the Super Bowl hook children into advertising by making it must-see television. She has also researched sponsorship of sporting events and can talk about how consumers recall sponsorship information. Contact: armcalister@wisc.edu, 734-355-3758.

Mary Beltrán, associate professor of media and cultural studies, is a scholar on U.S. entertainment media and celebrity culture, including ethnic and racial representation in U.S. film and television. She has studied the TV musical comedy “Glee,” which is airing immediately following the game on FOX, and can talk about the show and what it means for it to air in that high-profile time slot, with plot lines that include bullying of gay teenagers. Contact: mcbeltran@wisc.edu, 608-262-8788.

Richard Halverson, associate professor of educational leadership and policy analysis, is a Manitowoc native and Packer backer who can discuss research he has done on what it means to be a fan. He can also talk more specifically what it means to be a Packer fan in Wisconsin. Note: Halverson is not available between Jan. 31 and Feb. 4. Contact: halverson@education.wisc.edu, 608-239-4405.

J. Craig Thompson, Churchill Professor of Marketing in the Wisconsin School of Business’s Center for Brand and Product Management, can discuss the ads during the game and their function as a cultural event. Contact: cthompson@bus.wisc.edu.

• James P. Leary, professor of folklore and Scandinavian studies, is an expert on Wisconsin traditions, folklore and culture. He has memories of the Packers’ first Super Bowl as a high school student growing up in Rice Lake, Wis., and can discuss what the team’s return to the Super Bowl means to people in the state. Contact: jpleary@wisc.edu, 608-262-8107.