Today is the big day when America practically shuts down and tune in for the grand finale of the football season. The spectacle called Super Bowl averages a viewership of over 110 million people, and TV ad spots during the game sell for an average of 3.7 to 3.8 million dollars for each 30 seconds.
When I first moved to North America, people’s fanaticism about sports they don’t play always puzzled me. It is only until this past year, after I settled in the bay area, that I found greater appreciation in those games. I’ve come to the understanding that, regional prides aside, national sports help give individuals a sense of belonging, especially when they move to a new place, and on a higher level, unites regions, and whole nations into a collective conscious.
I recently read an article that football teams perform better when they listen to synchronized music, I suppose listening to the same music at the same time helps the players be in a common mental state, and thus play with greater synergy. Super Bowl, and its counterparts such as the World Series, might also have this unconscious effect on our society, while the nation spends a day united to observe the spectacle, we are also setting aside our differences, and strengthening our bond other countries may lack.
Another reason why AMURICA is amazing.
Talks aside, the photos were of a sporting event of a much smaller level, the 2006 homecoming football game from my alma mater Northwestern University. The first was a classmate putting on war paint of the school color purple, and the second was us distracting the opponent’s play by ringing keys.
As for the game today, unfortunately, the team I was supporting, the San Francisco 49ers, lost by a thin margin, but it was still an enjoyable experience to crowd around TV, drink beer, and enjoy the dramatic turns of events.