Super Bowl Generates Hype And Hate
Keith Farrell
You have to be living with purposeful ignorance of mainstream culture to not know the Super Bowl is today. Everything from grocery stores to beer commercials are eager to remind us of today’s NFL championship matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos. But beneath the clamor of excitement and anticipation is a very audible grumble. Some people do not watch pro football, and they want you to know it.
The critics vary from those who feel the sport is too violent, to those who revile consumerism and wealth, to those who feel the event is one big distraction. Yes, a distraction—according to those haughty social hipsters, football games like the Super Bowl are to blame for our political and social problems. If people were as engaged in politics as they are in sports then our problems would be nonexistent.
This train of thought is wrought with errors. To assume that anyone interested in football is not engaged in politics, i.e. doesn’t vote, doesn’t follow the news, is a bridge too far. Humans are complex, thinking individuals, well capable of simultaneously holding interest in a variety of subjects. To say that an individual who follows professional sports cannot stay up to date on political discourse is like saying someone can’t follow the stock market and also keep up to date on a popular television show.
The other part of this assumption confuses the role of media in society. Some feel the media is controlled by overlords who decide what we should see. These dastardly cabalists show us celebrity scandals and football games to keep us from tuning into CSPAN. In reality, the media is echo chamber, relentlessly chasing ratings by showing what people want to see. If every media outlet and TV channel is talking about the Super Bowl, this isn’t because of some conspiracy to prevent you from hearing about the minimum wage debate, it’s because the overwhelming majority of Americans want to see Super Bowl coverage.
Then there is the crowd who wants to lament the money spent on advertising, player’s salaries, and any other related costs. They wrongly conflate the private and public sectors and feel that money spent on Super Bowl advertising somehow robs the nation of money that could be used for government programs. These people fail to see the Super Bowl as a gigantic market event which companies compete to be a part of due to the large financial benefits they hope to receive. The Super Bowl, and all the expenses related to it, have nothing to do with a soldier’s pay or the amount of food stamps families receive. If anything, the large scale economic activity which the Super Bowl brings generates more tax revenue for government coffers.
When you boil it down, a loud, vociferous group of Americans does not watch the Super Bowl. They not only want you to know that they will not be watching it, they want to feel superior to those who do and thus tie illogical social and political motivations to their spite.
Is the Super Bowl a distraction? Yes, a much as any form of entertainment is. Americans seek respite from their lives and the endless stresses of finances, personal issues and, yes, even politics. What’s wrong with that? As if those critics of professional sports don’t have some forms of entertainment they use to unwind, whether it be video games, TV shows, movies, or even arguing with people over social media.
Entertainment is a hallmark of a free society. It’s a sign that we have enough capital to put on large events for nothing more than entertainment value. It demonstrates that we have enough material wealth and freedom to take time from our lives and spend it reveling in meaningless competition. Our society celebrates these freedoms, whether intentionally or not, on Super Bowl Sunday.
So, even if you don’t watch sports, take a moment to reflect on what today really means. Relax, put those political issues aside for a day, pop open a beer and be thankful you live in a society where it is all possible.
About the author: Keith Farrell is a political commentator and community organizer. He is a frequent contributor The Libertarian Republic and the founder and president of Spirits of ’76, a nonprofit service club dedicated to solving community problems with volunteer efforts. He graduated from the University of Connecticut and holds a BA in American Studies and Urban & Community Studies. Follow him on Facebook. 
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