Superbowl Sunday… Why Do We Get So Pumped?!

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY

usp_nfl-_nfc_championship-minnesota_vikings_at_phi-1.jpg

WOOT! WOOT! WOOT!!!

What is it about Superbowl Sunday that gets so many people soooo pumped-up… Sure if you are a football fan and your hometown team has made to the championship game, you have every reason in the world to don your favorite players jersey and paint your face in their colors all while chowing down on nachos and chicken wings, downing copious amounts of beer -- you deserve it, your team made it all the way to the BIG GAME.

Even if your team did not ascend to the biggest game of the year (and the most watched televised show) with a chance at bringing home the trophy and bragging rights for the year -- it is still a battle of highly talented, extremely buff men fighting to the last second, leaving it all on the field.., to be crowned the best!

But beyond the outcome of the game.., we revel in the violence -- the harder the hit the better… We anxiously await the usually over the top sexy half-time show, wardrobe malfunctions and all, we can't wait to see the long awaited commercials that advertisers pay through the nose for… We have in essence, enshrined Superbowl Sunday as a National American holiday, in all its"patriotic" glory , being pulled by a beautiful clydesdale horse stocked with, what else -- BEER and super hot chicks barely wearing anything waving pom-poms. Doesn't get more American than that (I guess)...

As the party's rage on all across the country, the burgers and dogs being wolfed down, large screen TV's (some really large) display the mentally impairing violence and surround sound systems cranked-up so loud, we can almost feel those bone-crushing hits ourselves -- what is it we are actually partaking in… What was once two groups of opposing teams fighting tooth and nail, yard by yard up and down the grid-iron for their piece of glory, seems to have been turned into a corporate advertisers wet-dream.

The blatant consumerism of society is on full display, along with a dark voyeurism -- as we relish in the violence (the more violent the better) and the in-your-face sexism in the form of barely dressed cheerleaders and the usually sexed-up over-the-top half-time show… While woman's voices are finally being heard, as they stand-up and speak-out against all the injustices they face on a day to day basis, the Superbowl seems to ignore all of that.., and play to the most primitive side of us all. For a few hours (more than a few actually -- the pre-game show is 5 hours long) we are a captive audience for corporate America to try and sell us things most cannot afford and beautiful women most can only dream of… And we relish in it!

After-all there is nothing else on TV that creates such a frenzy (except maybe the World Cup, but that is more of a world-wide thing not a USA thing).., no award shows, season finales, not even Americans favorite pastime The World Series drives so much traffic to those advertisers who spend a gazillion dollars to whip-out what they hope will be the most watched commercials.

While America has changed in, oh so many ways since the creation of the game, so has the Superbowl… While enjoyed by over 100 million viewers, it is an event that only a few can actually afford to see live… With the cost of a ticket to the Big Game can run you about $5000 (and that's for upper end-zone seats), you now have to add in all the other costs associated with this extravaganza -- whether you ae flying in or driving (parking costs), then there is the hotel, food, liquor (beer), any other party favors you might choose to indulge in (wink, wink) and many other incidentals that pop-up along the way.., you would be hard pressed to get away with spending less than $10,000 -- for a football game. And that's just ONE ticket.., on the low-end of the spectrum.

Of course, if you want to be "the man" and roll with the high-rollers the cost can sky-rocket… $20,000 per ticket to the Sky Club, $750 a head for the "Leather and Lace" party the Friday night before the game, where you get to hob-nob with a few celebrities and more scantily clad hot women… Over $10,000 for a 3 day weekend stay in a Superbowl Suite.., and yes, those unspoken party favors for the high-roller can exceed a normal working class yearly salary.

In a time when over 40% of all Americans cannot even afford a $400 medical emergency bill.., going to the Superbowl is nothing more than a far-off dream… The live event is strictly for the "haves" not the "have nots." The corporatization of this game has limited it to a chosen few… And that is why -- the "home" Superbowl party has taken a life of its own… While there is nothing like being there.., gathering around that big screen with family and friends or hitting local pub (sports bar) -- is a close second! Even if you don't like football, the party atmosphere that inhabits everyone of those gatherings is unmistakeable. So while corporate America continues to rob the average American (literally), they cannot stop us from enjoying, what will hopefully be a good game.., and for a few hours -- we can't help but get pumped-up!

Cheers Everybody -- And Enjoy The Big Game!

Image Source: 1 2