Changing Gears

NFL Network

Madonna talked about her love of the Midwest during an interview on the NFL Network yesterday. She's performing the halftime show at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis on Sunday.

This year’s Super Bowl is between two east coast teams, but everything else about it is a showcase for the Midwest. The game itself is in Indianapolis, which gives the city global media exposure.

And then there’s the halftime show performance by Madonna. Before she was the Material Girl, Madonna was just a Midwestern girl.

Yesterday, Madonna sat down for an interview with the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, and the conversation seemed to promote the Midwest as much as it promoted football.

Madonna talked about her high school in Rochester, Mich., and her love of the University of Michigan.

Eisen, himself a Michigan grad, kicked off the lovefest.

Go Blue,  Madonna. I never thought I would say that.

The two former Wolverines high-fived, then Madonna told Eisen:

I want my daughter to go to school there … I keep telling her Ann Arbor is an awesome place.

The whole exchange got us thinking: The Midwest has been producing pop-culture icons as long as there’s been a popular culture in this country, but who’s the greatest cultural ambassador of the Midwest today?

Whether you like the song or not, Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” is practically a tourism ad for northern Michigan. Eminem, too, has done his share to promote Michigan.  Cleveland has Drew Carey. Kanye West, a controversial entertainer if ever there was one, still has plenty of love for Chi-town.

So, who’s your favorite cultural ambassador for the Midwest?