What you need to know

  • A Surface advertisement went up the day after the Super Bowl on Microsoft's YouTube channel.
  • Microsoft has a multi-year marketing agreement with the NFL that includes teams using Surface devices on the sidelines.
  • The ad shows NFL players and coaches using Surfaces, including Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford.

Super Bowl Sunday had ads for beer, chips, and T-Mobile's 5G. It even had a mysterious commercial with a QR code that took people to Coinbase's website, which later crashed. While Microsoft didn't have an ad during the game, it did sneak out a video on its YouTube channel the day after the Super Bowl.

Microsoft has a longstanding agreement with the NFL that includes teams using Surface devices on the sidelines. The new video from Microsoft runs through some superstitions that teams allegedly have related to using Surface hardware on the sidelines.

Here are some of the lines from the commercial:

  • Swipe lightly with the pen, get the ball back again
  • Surface times two, touchdown for you
  • Hold Surface turn around, defense scores a touchdown
  • The ad concludes by telling viewers to respect the power of Surface

It seems unlikely that any NFL coaches have spun around while holding a Surface to help their defense force a turnover. Then again, NFL players and coaches can be a superstitious bunch, so it's possible.

Tom Brady threw a Surface during a game this season, and he wasn't in the Super Bowl on Sunday. That may be a coincidence, but... what if it's the consequences of Brady not respecting the power of Surface?! We may never know.