Super Bowl I ‘lost’ tape: NFL plays games with owner
A few weeks ago the NFL Network unveiled its production replay of Super Bowl I, an overproduced, overhyped, underwhelming piece that had too many network mouths yammering on about things that had nothing to do with the game itself.
Because of the backlash from fans, the network decided to re-run the tape they had spliced together from various sources without all the distractions and fanfare provided the first go-around.
They should have done that in the first place.
In fact, they could have just used the original recording that they knew about years ago, but decided not to pay for … tapes that were originally recorded on Super Bowl I game day by Martin Haupt … and kept for decades in the attic of the family home in Shamokin, Pa.
When Martin Haupt’s son, Troy, was reminded by a friend that a couple of film cans were stored in the attic, he checked it out.
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And it was about 10 years ago that he began negotiations with the NFL to sell the tapes that he felt were priceless. After all, nobody from NBC or CBS had taped that game back in the days when video tape machines weren’t a dime a dozen.
According to a story in the New York Times, it was unclear why the elder Haupt decided to tape the game.
Here is how The Times’ article described that day:
"Haupt’s father, Martin, taped the game. Haupt never knew him. Haupt and his mother, Beth Rebuck, say they have no idea what he did for a living back then. They also don’t know why he went to work on Jan. 15, 1967, with a pair of two-inch Scotch tapes, slipped one, and then the other, into a Quadruplex taping machine and recorded the Green Bay Packers’ 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He told his family nothing about his day’s activity."
It was Martin who gave the tapes to his ex-wife just before passing of cancer. He apparently had the foresight that they may have value and suggested to his ex that they might help pay for a college education.
Instead, the tapes were stored in not-so-ideal conditions in the attic of the family home – succumbing to the rising and falling temperatures and moisture of the home’s upper story.
The NFL, in all its infinite wisdom, decided the asking price wasn’t to their liking and decided not to purchase the tapes from the younger Haupt. But because the NFL owned the content on the tape, they also forbade Haupt from selling to a third party.
With the 50th anniversary of the game this year, Troy Haupt thought it was time to identify himself and had even set up an event with CBS to promote the tapes.
Here’s how The Times described it:
"CBS backed out of a plan to interview him for a Super Bowl pregame segment that would have used a few minutes from the game. It had agreed to pay him $25,000 and give him two tickets to the Super Bowl. A producer was preparing to watch a restored, digital copy of the game at the Paley Center. A crew was ready to go to Manteo. He was going to tell his story, and perhaps the league would listen."
But that wasn’t the case as Haupt was seemingly left hanging with tapes originally valued at $1 million with nobody listening and no way to get his message to the public.
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This unusual case keeps us wondering about the power of the NFL … and their influence on the marketplace. Clearly the league has deep pockets, but the fact that they decided paying an individual for content they claim is theirs wasn’t surprising.
But it doesn’t seem quite right either.
Here is film that is of interest not only to fans of the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and all who have a love of the game of professional football … but nobody will ever get the chance to see it.
Unless you know Troy Haupt personally and he invites you over for a Sunday afternoon viewing of the game, this tape will never be seen by anyone any time soon … in fact, as long as the NFL is viable.
Doesn’t seem right … but then again, nothing surprises me about the corporate side of the NFL.
What do you think, Packers fans?