How many times do we have to learn the lesson that the over-hyped event rarely lives up to the anticipation it generates?
That’s not true for just the Super Bowl but for life in general: The higher the pre-event expectation the more likely is the sense of let down when it is passed. Of course, the opposite may be true. When an occasion for which there was little excitement turns out to be crystal clear in the memory decades later, that’s always a pleasant surprise. The letdown of the less-than-hoped for result is soon forgotten.
It is not, as in the sports arena, just a matter of who won and who lost. Even for a true enthusiast the winners and losers will quickly fade unless you have a major emotional or financial commitment to the outcome. The Super Bowl is a cultural event. Even if your interest is marginal, not watching it is awkward. The discussion this week will soon fade, but unless you have watched, the trips to the office water cooler will find you excluded from chit chat.
Who among the pundits would have predicted a safety on the first snap and the subsequent dismantling of the Broncos? Unlike a few games which have been decided in the last second by an improbably long field goal, this one was short on drama and long on angst.
It is hard to imagine what the losers must be feeling this dreary Monday morning. As John Madden told his Oakland Raiders before the game January 9, 1977, “This is not a day you will remember the rest of your life . . . unless you win.” That might be a helpful message for Denver.
So much for the game itself. There are other things to say. In this time of world tension, having the event go off without a terrorist action is always a relief. With a hundred million or more watching imagine the security precautions in place to insure safety. Thanks to the unseen thousands that were vigilant but remain unappreciated.
The New York Daily News reported that fewer than half the television viewers cared who won the game, that more food was consumed than any other day except Thanksgiving. Enough guacamole to fill a freight train, 650,000 chickens lost their wings, millions of gallons of beer, countless tons of pizza, and who knows what else was eaten. I wouldn’t be surprised if the earth’s wobble wasn’t a little accentuated because of the mass of ingested food in North America.
Super Sunday is the largest rollout for new advertising. The cost is estimated at $133,000 per second and the Monday critiques are fodder for the morning talk shows. It may be that the public has become jaded, but the ads seem less creative than years ago.By my count there were (only) 25 commercial breaks each with an average of five enterprises. There were more than a few that were difficult to identify by product.
Chrysler had a two-minute stealth ad toward the end of the game—only in the last few seconds did we find out what they were selling. It must have been effective since it was one of the few I recall. Budweiser, usually a crowd pleaser, was sadly predictable until they trotted out the adorable puppy and his playmates, the Clydesdales. Beer commercials always leave me feeling excluded: I have never been to a party where everyone was in a state of near hysteria.
When the game’s sad conclusion came, you have to think about the gambling. It is big business for casinos and it was predicted that more than 100 million dollars would be bet. (That’s only about 90 seconds of commercial revenue). Denver was a two point favorite which makes it doubly ironic that that Broncos were down by two points just 12 seconds into the game. Understanding next-to-nothing about the arcane art of odds and gambling I would imagine there are more than a few who this morning who are visiting that nebulous world of “If only . . .”
Then there was the half-time show. Who knows what Pepsi paid for that! It is a concession to aging that very little of it was understandable to me. The female frenzy of the fans on the field only confirmed my suspicion that I am finishing my tour on an unfamiliar planet.
My take-away message from Super Sunday is this: Beloved really does serve good snacks. Although her disdain for football is quite well-developed she fed me with good humor while I took notes. I hope everyone can find some cheer in the endless run up to the game and its surprising outcome.
If not, don’t be discouraged, there is always next year.
– Hayden Hollingsworth
