When Archie Manning was playing pro football Youth Kyle Rudolph Jersey , his family and friends had to scramble to see his games. Sort of like what Manning had to do behind the Saints' sieve of a line.When his sons, first Peyton in 1998 and then Eli in 2004, broke into the NFL, all Archie had to do was sit in his favorite chair and turn on DirecTV's Sunday Ticket.The satellite television provider's most successful sports package — when AT&T spent $47 billion to purchase DirecTV in 2015, the deal was predicated on having the broadcast rights to Sunday afternoon NFL games — heads into its 25th season.It has well over 2 million subscribers. It doesn't come cheap: The price for the most-inclusive Sunday Ticket Max that has Red Zone and a fantasy football channel is close to $400, which has drawn complaints from subscribers.Then again, there's access to all those games, meaning a Giants fan living in Marco Island on the Florida Gulf Coast can see all of Eli he wishes. Or a Packers fan living in the Arizona desert gets his fill of Aaron Rodgers, and so on.Plus all the bettors and fantasy players out there can watch their choices in action."It's pretty unbelievable that more than 20 years ago when I was introduced to it, Peyton was going into the NFL, and we are not one of these parents that try to go to the games every weekend," Archie says. "So we could watch on TV and were able to do that from New Orleans."And then when Eli came into the league, we could get his games. Otherwise, we would not be able to pick up all the Colts and Giants games. Having two sons playing on Sunday when Eli came along, it was just great to have Sunday Ticket."It's been a boon for the NFL, whose ratings, like all other sports, have shrunk on network television. Having the satellite package that brings in $12 billion over eight years makes DirecTV a key broadcast partner, as well as a place for innovation."I feel that NFL Sunday Ticket's biggest impact is it created a new standard," says Brian Rolapp, the league's chief business and media officer. "All other sports have emulated in one form or another an out-of-market package; it's now an expected component of any sports media offerings. As a result, sports fans have benefited immensely, as in this day and age they are afforded the opportunity to watch the sport or the team they love regardless of where they live. To me, that's what it's all about."There is no question that making all of our Sunday afternoon games available to fans — regardless of what market they are in — has helped increase the popularity of the league. It allowed us to make Sunday afternoon football national while not compromising the regionalized, free over-the-air games (that are blacked out on DirecTV in those local markets)."The Mannings often have been called the "First Family of Football." Certainly Peyton and Eli — and to a lesser extent, Archie and wife Olivia — have been Sunday Ticket's first family.Peyton first hit the commercials scene for DirecTV in 2001, three years after four future Hall of Famers — Troy Aikman, Jerry Rice, Brett Favre and John Elway — did the initial spot for Sunday Ticket. Peyton became a regular in 2003 and was joined by Eli in 2007.Some of those ads — "Displaced Fan Syndrome,""Football Cops,""Football On Your Phone" — have become YouTube sensations, in part because they put the Manning brothers in such unexpected and hilarious roles. Archie even got to join the fun when two of those spots were filmed in New Orleans."I was ready to have a back fusion and it was going to be (filmed) the next week," Archie says of one of the commercials. "I told them: 'I can't stand up.' They got me into it somehow."Eli kind of carried those commercials, especially the rap one — I still get people talking to me about 'Football On Your Phone.'"Archie then sings that phrase just as Peyton and Eli did.For Eli, stepping so out of character was tantamount to him becoming a scrambling quarterback."The ones with my brother were pretty special," he says. "The most nervous was for "Football On Your Phone Youth Kirk Cousins Jersey ,' the rap video. Being dressed up like Timberlake in 1999 in New Orleans, that's a little out of my element. It had a shock effect on a lot of people and that made it fun."Peyton and I were both making fun of each other and trying to sing that rap, and just how bad I knew I was sounding. We definitely had to sing it; they put us in a sound booth, and there were a lot of repeats of us trying to get the right pitch and everything going. It was pretty amazing what they can do with some of technology today."Well, if DirecTV can make rap stars out of Brothers Manning, coming up with Red Zone had to be a snap. Archie says he "really loves red zone." Apparently, so do subscribers and the folks watching in restaurants."Innovations have included the invention of Red Zone, the concept of which has been widely copied by other leagues and networks like ESPN; Game Mix channels, where fans can watch four to six live games at once," says Dan York, AT&T senior executive vice president and chief content officer."In addition to celebrating the 25th season, we will also hit another tremendous milestone: broadcasting our 5,000th game."Way back when the first games were being televised by DirecTV, it wasn't exactly a huge conglomerate getting the telecasts on the satellite network. The product launched in 1994, the same year as satellite service but only a partial season of Sunday Ticket was available, beginning in November. Compared to now, the telecasts were rudimentary."I started in 2000, and back then NFL Sunday Ticket was standard definition only, no channel mix, no Red Zone or Fantasy Zone," says Catherine Pack, assistant VP of video operations for AT&T. "The way the signals were delivered to us, we were in communication with the folks the NFL hired in Stamford, Connecticut who were at the time responsible for running commercials for the NFL, and we had 30-second to 1-minute break positions we had to cover. It took an army then, and an even larger one now."Nowadays, many NFL fans sit down on Sunday afternoons, turn to the channels numbered 700 and higher on DirecTV, and gorge on football. Count Archie Manning among them, of course.At times, he might get distracted by a certain two-time Super Bowl winner who lives in Denver texting him about what they are watching. But that's part of the pleasure, too, Archie says."Peyton is fun to watch football together with," he says. "We watch college football a lot, or we watch pro games. "When Eli's game is not on, a lot people think I just watch the Saints White Mike Hughes Jersey , but I kind of keep up with everything." Hi kids. How about those conference championship games, huh?You know, I’m in my 50’s now, and a grandfather. They say you tend to mellow out with age, and for me, that’s true in many respects. The old type-A personality in me is pretty much gone, and I’ve learned to appreciate things in life I should have learned to appreciate a lot earlier in life. I no longer think what I do for a living equals who I am, and staying angry and holding grudges serves no purpose. Forgiveness and serenity are powerful things in life, and they help an unsettled soul find peace.Usually.Sports grudges are something unique and different, though. As a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, we all have a ‘defining moment’ in our fandom, where we connected with past generations of fans who have witnessed franchise misfortune on an almost cosmic scale.For me, it was the 1975 ‘Hail Mary’ game against Dallas. For folks younger than me, it was the 1998 NFC Championship. For fans younger than that, it was the 2009 NFC Championship. The first two were brutal, but they were also occurred in a time before social media became such a force in society.The 2009 NFC Championship was the first defining moment of Vikings futility for a new generation of fans, only now the full weight and power of social media was on display. I had just started writing on the front page here at The Daily Norseman the week of that game, and me, Chis, and Eric had to figure out what to write in the aftermath of the game. The thing I remember the most about being new here was the amount of Saints fans that came over and said, basically ‘one call doesn’t decide the game’ and blah blah blah just get over it in response to our complaints about the egregious officiating that we felt cost the Vikings a legit shot at the Super Bowl.In the weeks and months that followed and the Bountygate scandal broke, I developed an intense sports hatred for the Saints, Sean Payton, and Gregg Williams, the defensive coordinator who ran the bounty program. As a matter of fact, for almost my whole time as a front page writer here, I’ve referred to that team as the Ne[FUCK THOSE GUYS]ints.But as the years have gone by, I’ve softened my feelings towards the Saints team. As most of you know I’m an Ohio State fan, and the Saints have a bunch of former Buckeyes on their roster. WR Michael Thomas is one of the most dynamic young players in the game, and I just flat out enjoy watching him play the game of football.The Saints have also had a roster turnover to the point that I think the only player left on their team from the 2009 season is Drew Brees, and as much as I try to generate some animosity towards the dude, I can’t. He’s likeable, and he’s going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer.Finally, the last thing that happened that caused me to not feel such hatred towards the team is the Minneapolis Miracle. That expelled a lot of demons for me, and almost all the animosity I had towards the Saints and the 2009 NFC Championship disappeared instantly. I know for some fans, they’ll never be over that game White Laquon Treadwell Jersey , no matter what happens. It’s your ‘Hail Mary’ game, and I understand. For example, The 2009 playoff beatdown of the Cowboys didn’t make the Hail Mary game feelings go away for me, so if the Minneapolis Miracle didn’t help you get over the Bountygate Game, I get it.But as much as I’ve learned to not dislike the Saints, I’ll never wish anything but professional agony for Sean Payton. Every time his team suffers a miserable loss, I rejoice. Not in the team’s failure, but in his personal agony. The Germans have a word that means, roughly, taking pleasure in someone else’s misery—’schadenfreude’.For me watching Sean Payton agonize over his team losing in a torturous manner? Let’s call it Paytonfreude.Nothing has given me more NFL pleasure these last two years than watching Sean Payton getting karma handed back to him, and paid with interest. The Minneapolis Miracle was all the sweeter because it was against him and the Saints, and of course it propelled the Vikings to the NFC Championship.But yesterday? Yesterday gave birth to full on Paytonfreude for me, and I loved it. And I also love the irony in Saints fans screaming about a bad call, and how the NFL should overturn it, and give them a re-match.Considering, you know, how much they tried to tell us back in 2009 that one call doesn’t determine the outcome of a game, I have one thing to say:Get over it. You aren’t getting a re-match, no matter how many people sign your stupid petition. It holds about as much weight and value as Green Bay Packers stock.Because one call isn’t the difference between winning and losing, as you liked to point out back then. How about you just run the ball and don’t throw it? How about you score touchdowns on your first two drives instead of kicking field goals? How about your Hall of Fame QB doesn’t throw a brutal interception, at the worst possible moment? THIS ISN’T TAMPA BAY, MAN! THIS IS THE SUPER BOWL!Yet that said, most of my Paytonfreude feelings are reserved for one Sean Payton, the coach of the Saints.I also had some reactions to some tweets about how the refs screwed the Saints over:I think I also spoke for Vikings fans everywhere when Troy Aikman was talking about the 2009 NFC Championship as they showed highlights of that game waiting for overtime to begin:Still, when I realized the Saints lost, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly happy, knowing Sean Payton lost in agonzing fashion, two years in a row:Then Payton conducted his post game press conference. To me, it felt a lot like this:My reaction to his thoughts on the call?What’s that, Adam Schefter?Again, I don’t care. Actually, I rather enjoyed it: