OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper might be a big sports fan -- but he's no fan of the Super Bowl.

The prime minister offered a candid reply when asked for a prediction on Sunday's National Football League championship game between the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts.

He also took a nationalist jab at the NFL.

"I have to admit I'm not following it,'' Harper said Friday.

"Being prime minister of Canada I can assure you I focus my exclusive football attention on the Grey Cup -- which is always much more exciting.''

Harper's admission to not being interested in a major sporting event is somewhat surprising.

His obsession with sports extends beyond hockey -- about which he's writing a book -- and his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs.

He also followed soccer's World Cup so closely last summer that, even in the opening round, he had aides updating him on game scores while he worked in his office.

Harper's shot at the tediousness of the Super Bowl, however, may be based more on perception than reality.

While the NFL's marquee event did result in a string of memorable snoozers in the 1990s, punctuated some years by scores such as 55-10 and 52-17, it has become more competitive.

Five of the last nine Super Bowls have been decided by a margin of one touchdown or less.

Meanwhile, only three Grey Cup games over that period have been so close.