Some takeaways, and that don't mean turnovers.
1. Dolly Parton can get away with anything, including a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader bikini hotpants outfit -- which, she implies, must be what a woman has to wear to reel her shallow, strayin' man back from "Jolene." Her dignity and smile remain completely intact.
2. "Nine to Five" -- "all takin' and no givin'" -- is perfect for an occasion that has traditionally turned a holiday into just another workday for women.
3. "Bad mistakes, I've made a few," Dolly sings on Queen's "We Are the Champions," wryly gesturing at her 77-year-old bionically sculpted body, which must have hit a few potholes on the road to glory. But fronted by a large squadron of exclusively female cheerleaders, she also insists, "We'll keep on fighting to the end" from a stage deep in the heart of Texas, launchpad of the nation's most abusive abortion laws. Dolly may say she doesn't take political stands, but you don't need a magnifying glass to perceive who her "champions" are.
4. While she's bending a knee to Queen, country sovereign Dolly might as well acknowledge her new status as rock royalty, exemplified by "We Will Rock You," which melds with "Champions" as one of 30 tracks on her star-studded new "Rockstar" album. She's also alluding to a thing called Rock the Vote, and judging by the last midterm elections, women know how to rock you.
5. Oh yeah, there are some men on the field today too. Cultural observer Diana notes that if this game were being played in 2019, it would have been Cowboys vs. Redskins, i.e. Cowboys vs. Indians. The Washington D.C. team has altered its name but not the brick-red color of its helmets -- change runs slow. "Commanders" is intended to conjure the commanders-in-chief who reside in the White House, but come 2025, the word could read a lot less neutral. We could have a commander who longs not just for 2019, but 1819. Or really, 1719.