The SuperBowl is a media event that includes pre-game entertainment, a star-studded half-time show, celebrity interviews, a week of media blitz, and unprecedented commercial extravaganza.
There is also a football game.
The SuperBowl hype starts weeks early so that everyone can have an opportunity to stock up on beer, snacks, and T-shirts with the name of their favorite team or player. A few people will actually watch TV to see the football game, but most people watch primarily to see the newly produced commercials.
The SuperBowl attracts a larger viewing audience than any other television program. Because it is a prime time sporting event, it is considered family entertainment. People complain actively when they think prime time programming is not suitable for children, which make sponsors nervous. People do not complain about the violence of football, however, especially if a member of the opposing team is being sacked.
The reason that people like to watch the SuperBowl on television is because they cannot get tickets to the game. Tickets are distributed by a lottery method and not through regular ticket agents. However, tailgate parties are not allowed on SuperBowl parking lots, and that’s the main reason for going to an actual game anyhow.
Companies spend millions of dollars to sponsor commercials during the SuperBowl because of the large audience watching. This is another one of the reasons why the SuperBowl is considered important. It promotes crass commercialism and is good for the American economy.
SuperBowls are popular for a number of reasons, but women like them mainly because they signal the end of the football season, which means husbands can return to doing activities other than spending the weekend in front of the television set. Parents like the SuperBowl because it teaches children valuable lessons they can use later in life like how to read Roman numerals and how to tackle other kids on the playground.
Some people attend SuperBowl parties to watch the game with friends. Such parties are especially popular with members of fantasy football leagues. Playing fantasy football is a macho pastime whereby league members pick players from various teams to form an imaginary team. Scoring is based on points for yards run, passes completed, and touchdowns scored. Only a computer can understand who actually wins.
The SuperBowl traditionally uses Roman numerals for naming the games. We are not sure why but think it has something to with gladiators and stadiums. They are not using Roman numerals for scoring, thank goodness. Even a computer could not figure that out.
The media hype starts even before the final two teams that will play in the SuperBowl have been determined and reaches a crescendo the week of the game. Both SuperBowl winners and losers will receive SuperBowl rings for playing. Women do not receive rings for putting up with a season of football, however.
The SuperBowl is held in various cities, which bid on the opportunity to have it because of the publicity and the tourism that it creates. It used to be held at the last of January, but lately it has been the first week of February instead. The reason it was moved to February is because this is closer to Valentine’s Day and gives men the opportunity to buy something romantic for the woman in their life to try to make up for ignoring them for seven months.
The important thing to remember about the SuperBowl is that there is actually a football game involved. Promoters are working hard on eliminating that distraction and only having four quarters of prime time commercials with media blitz, pre-event activities and an extravagant halftime show.