John Miller writes at National Review Online:
The ads with Peyton Manning, who won't be appearing in this year's Superbowl, are funny, as he acts like a crazed fan cheering on everyday people as they perform ordinary jobs. The one where he asks the grocery store stockboy to sign a loaf of bread for his little brother is especially funny. But these commercials also leave a bad taste in my mouth. They show a football superstar mocking the enthusiasm of his fans, and suggest that grocery store stockboys are less worthy of applause than sports jocks. There's something fundamentally arrogant about this.
That's funny. My reaction was just the opposite. To me, the commercial says two related things:
1. There's something fundamentally stupid about people fawning over athletes. In that sense, it's the opposite of arrogant. It's an acknowledgement that the athlete's job isn't that important.
2. There's something fundamentally important about every person's job, and maybe we ought to be rooting for them, too.
