The World View

The world watches . . . well, almost everybody.

“The Queen [of England] might tune in if the Kansas City Royals were playing,” said a cheeky Ken Elliott, covering today’s Super Bowl XXXIV for the London Evening Standard. “But the Rams and Titans? She’s probably more interested in the Mike Tyson fight--that’s what the chaps over there have been obsessed with the past week.”

Hard to believe anyone would want to miss one of Mike Gruttadauria’s snaps to watch a guy who probably belongs in the Tower of London, but by the time the Super Bowl kicks off at 11:18 p.m. Big Ben time, it most likely will be lights out for Her Majesty.

“I know there’s a lot of interest in Phil Collins,” Elliott said.

You mean Todd Collins, Ram linebacker.

“No, the singer in the halftime show,” Elliott said. “I would think there would be a picture of him in all the British newspapers after the game.”

London Fletcher, Ram linebacker, is also a cinch to get coverage whether he plays or not.

The game will begin at 8:18 a.m. the following day in Tokyo, but Jack Gallagher, former Clipper publicity director (1984-1989) and currently sportswriter for the Japan Times, doesn’t expect many people to call in sick to stay home and watch the game.

“I’m sure the people in Japan will be surprised if they hand the Lombardi Trophy to a woman [Ram owner Georgia Frontiere],” Gallagher said. “I’m sure if that’s the highlight they show on the news, some people might scratch their heads and say, ‘Wow.’ ”

You see, people really aren’t that much different no matter where they live.

“Being polite, we know she has some problems,” said Daniel Killy, reporting all week on the Super Bowl for the Hamburger Morgenpost. “But no one in our country knows who she is, so when the Rams say they are ‘Taking Georgia to Georgia,’ that doesn’t mean anything to our readers.”

The world watches . . . well, not everybody.

“I have this great little digital camera and every year I have gotten some of the best stuff shooting things around the Super Bowl and I’ve put it all together and [“60 Minutes” executive producer] Don Hewitt will never let me talk about it on the show,” Andy Rooney said. “Don Hewitt hates the Super Bowl because it ruins his show that night. He very seldom turns me down, but he says it’s just not very interesting.”

Rooney said he’s so fascinated by the Super Bowl, he pays his own way each year and makes a vacation of it.

“The Super Bowl probably indicates to the world that we’re having a good time in America,” he said. “It certainly isn’t a very serious event, and that’s why I like it so much. It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference who wins--it doesn’t touch my life at all.

“That’s what is great about football. You like or hate a football team for absolutely inconsequential reasons, and nothing else in your life is judged on such insubstantial grounds.

“You people in Los Angeles threw the Rams out. It was Los Angeles that failed, not the Rams.”

Spend a minute with Andy Rooney, and that’s enough.

In Germany the game will begin after midnight. There are more than 100 journalists and photographers from that country here to cover the game, although by the time it ends they will miss their deadlines and have to file their work a day later.

“People will be talking about the opening of ‘Bundesliga,’ the Federated Soccer League,” Killy said of Saturday’s games. “There’s just not much interest in this game because none of the big-name teams like the 49ers are in it.”

The world watches . . . well, just about everybody.

The NFL estimates that more than 800 million people will watch the Super Bowl. An estimated 1.3 billion watched the 1998 World Cup soccer final between Brazil and France. Can you remember the final score? Hint: One of the teams probably had 0.

The game will be broadcast in 24 languages--it used to be 25 when Hank Stram was doing the radio broadcast.

Twelve countries will broadcast live from the Georgia Dome, and Tampa Bay kicker Martin Gramatica will lend his expert analysis--what does a kicker know--for TV Azteca in his native Argentina.

As for the global view of the Super Bowl, several of The Times’ foreign corespondents filed reports this week on how their areas of interest regard the “World Championship,” as the NFL bills it.

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*TENNESSEE vs. ST. LOUIS: TODAY, 3:15 p.m. Ch. 7