This Sunday is the Super Bowl. The favorite Colts are lead by the consummate pro Payton Manning. The underdog Saints have the inspirational Drew Brees at the helm. It should be an entertaining game on Sunday in Miami as both teams have proven throughout the course of the season to be the leagues’ best.
Ironically, it was just 3 years ago when the Colts were the underdogs in Miami against the Chicago Bears; history was made when they won their 1st Super Bowl in 36 years. The last Colt team to win a Super Bowl was in 1971 when they played in Baltimore and were led by Earl Morrall and Johnny Unitas. Maybe this is the year of the Saints? This will be the Saints first Super Bowl appearance? — EVER! What would it mean for the battered city of New Orleans? After all, it was only 4+ years ago when Hurricane Katrina nearly wiped the city off the map and sent the Saints seeking temporary refuge in San Antonio and Baton Rouge. Talk about a comeback!
So does any of this matter in a year when unemployment is high, the economy is shaky, Congress appears dysfunctional, and the American people are uncertain? You bet it does! Like Forrest Gump the movie or this year’s movie blockbusters Avatar or The Hurt Locker, the Super Bowl is an American tradition and an escape from reality even if only for a Sunday evening in February.
Here are some random thoughts on why I believe the Super Bowl is so much more than a football game. The Super Bowl is an American icon and tradition.
- Like Christmas and Thanksgiving, it’s a time when people gather at houses for parties. The super bowl is a House Party occasion.
- While Christmas and Thanksgiving are family occasions, the Super Bowl is a friends occasion.
- While the football game is the event, multiple sideshows are in some ways just as big. The two primary sideshows include the commercials and the halftime show.
- All time top commercials include Apple’s ‘1984’, Coke’s ‘Mean Joe Greene’ and Budweiser’s ‘Frogs’.
- Big name half-time performances include The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Shania Twain, Sting, No Doubt, N’Sync, Britney Spears, Aerosmith, and who can forget Janet Jackson’s equipment malfunction. This year, The Who will perform.
Regardless of what is going on in the chaos of our world, whether it be the economic downturn, the disaster in Haiti, or political turmoil, people will still gather and watch the Super Bowl. It’s an escape, a tradition, a reason to root for an underdog, enjoy time with friends, eat, laugh at commercials, and pretend that all is right and normal in the world.
And what is a movie? What is Forrest Gump? It is an escape, a reason to root for the underdog, an excuse to feel and laugh and cry. When you lose your job or the stock market crashes, you can still get lost in a movie for 2 hours and pretend that all is right and normal in the world.
This Sunday for a few hours, friends will gather in houses and all will be right with the world! The Super Bowl is a fantastic escape and quintessential Americana.
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Next Blog Date: Monday, February 8, 2010