I’m a huge football fan. In high school, I spent many afternoons after school out on the practice field, and just like every lineman I always dreamed about a time when my coach would let me play wide receiver and catch the ball.
So, it never happened (I did run the ball once, unsuccessfully), but I, like millions of men (and women) around the country, live my dreams through the world of professional football, its climax being the Super Bowl.
But I did not get the memo that the Super Bowl started before Super Sunday, apparently MTV forgot to send it out.
I’ve heard complaints from a few people about how the Super Bowl is too commercial. They say the Super Bowl is becoming the most impure form of football, and that paying the millions of dollars for the commercials and half-time acts are the downfall of America’s greatest sport.
After a week of watching “The Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials,” “Sportscenter” live from Houston and “Super Bowl Friday Night,” on MTV, I couldn’t help but wonder what that ultimate American game is becoming.
And then I realized although baseball may be America’s past-time, football is America’s true sport.
I guess it is a problem that the Super Bowl wants to be bigger and more extravagant, it takes away from the actual game of football. There are as many people watching the game for the game’s outcome as there are for the commercials and half-time entertainment.
In those breaks, the Super Bowl is constantly trying to outdo itself from the year before.
That’s the American way of doing things.
Last year, 88.6 million people watched the Super Bowl, and last night’s contest between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers in Houston was expected to reach even more Americans — but not just because they wanted to watch the action on the gridiron.
The first Super Bowl in 1967 showcased the Universities of Arizona and Michigan’s marching bands — a far cry from last night’s showcase of Janet, Kid Rock and P. Diddy.
But just imagine if after the AFL and NFL merger in 1970 the new incarnation of the NFL hadn’t brought in more sponsors and bigger-named acts for the Super Bowl’s extravagant half-time shows.
But the half-time shows aren’t the only things that have gotten bigger and better. The commercials in between the plays at the Super Bowl have become almost as popular as the actual game. From Budweiser’s “Bud Bowl,” to the debut of high-profile movie trailers, the demand for spots between the Super Bowl’s broadcasts have skyrocketed the price of a 30-second spot to $2.4 million in 2004.
The Super Bowl’s commercials probably wouldn’t be as popular as they are today if 20 years ago Apple Computer hadn’t aired a commercial directed by Ridley Scott introducing its new computer, the Macintosh.
Apple, an American company, continuing an American trend of constantly wanting things bigger and better.
And that’s the essence of the Super Bowl, it’s an American tradition with American ways. In this fast-paced nation that wants everything bigger and more extravagant, the Super Bowl fits in perfectly with its high priced commercials and over-the-top half-time shows.
Some people may watch the Super Bowl just for its commercials and performances, but I can’t help but admit it would be un-American any other way.