Ok, I admit it. I am probably the last person on earth who qualifies to write about American football...or ANY sport, for that matter. I myself have never really cared about having enthusiasm when it comes to watching sports. Every time I watch, I have to ask someone to explain the rules to me. Again.
Sure, I enjoyed attending a football game here and there when I was in university (GO DUCKS!!) and I won't deny that I had a good time at the occasional baseball or ice hockey game in the past. I even played on the soccer team when I was in elementary school. I also freely admit that I would be willing to attend sporting events in the future. But the enjoyment of those experiences comes, for me, mostly from the people I am spending time with, and not from whatever might be happening on the field.
And yet, as an American and an English teacher, I feel compelled to write about a single aspect of my culture that appears to me to be the epitomic blend of so many icons of American society: television, pop culture, junk food, competition (athletic and otherwise) and good-old-fashioned capitalism. What in the world, you ask, could I be talking about? The Super Bowl.
Anyone who has lived in America in January can attest to the fact that Americans have a peculiar obsession with that one Sunday every year on which the climax of the football season is staged. The Super Bowl is the proverbial cherry on top of the sundae of American sports. Now, I am well aware of the fact that crazed sports fans can be found in every nook and cranny of the globe, but I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find another location on earth where an annual national sporting event eclipses even some national holidays in so many respects. For instance, the only other day of the year on which Americans eat more food is Thanksgiving, which coincidentally, is also an American tradition that has become associated with watching football.
Apart from the sport itself being uniquely American, our grand "tradition" of capitalism has been thrown into the mix. The sheer number of viewers alone suggests the advantage given to any company who can afford to advertise during the game; nowadays, a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl costs about $3 million. On February 1st of this year, nearly 100 million people tuned in to watch, making it the most-watched Super Bowl--or sporting event in general--of all time, pushing advertisers to put their best and brightest ideas into the creation of their ads. Under these circumstances, Super Bowl commercials have become almost as popular as the game itself. In fact, for many like me who don't really care at all about the progress of the game, the advertisements are often the only thing worth watching. (Try this website if you'd like to see some highlights of commercials from past Super Bowls:www.superbowl-ads.com)
It is probably my perpetual confusion when it comes to understanding certain athletic events that is the reason why Super Bowl Sunday has never made complete sense to me. Nevertheless, every once in a while, in January, I feel a little bit like I'm missing out on something. I guess no matter how silly it may seem, and no matter how little I care about American football, I don't mind putting up with watching a bunch of guys run around on a field as long as I enjoy spending time with the people who watch it with me.
P.S. Asako--I have read 141 pages out of a total of 232.
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Posted By: Melanie Belles on February 27, 2009
