Unless you live without internet and cable, you have seen countless stories about the Super Bowl in the past week. But have you heard about the actual 60 minutes of nitty-gritty playtime? Unless you have the NFL Network, you’ve seen both the blogs and ESPN focus on Ray Lewis’ alleged use of deer spray, the “Harbowl,” how much a 30 second commercial is (answer: $4 million), the fact that SodaStream’s commercial was banned by CBS for sponsorship reasons, and my favorite, the #BeyonceBowl, whereby Beyonce will make up for her National Anthem faux pas and sing live at the halftime show.The sideline news is understandable. While 2/3 of all Americans will watch the Super Bowl, only 53% of all Americans actually care who wins. Marketing through social media has made more people aware and in the know, but seemingly at the expense of the actual thing, itself. Most recently, the Inauguration of President Obama, where it looked like more people cared about the Beyonce/Marine Band SNAFU than ‘collective action.’Even though I am not an avid football fan, I will concede that more people paying attention to American traditions is a good thing. It strengthens our culture, and helps to bring our diverse country together with a healthy dose of nationalism. So whether you care about the Ravens or the 49ers [note: GO RAVENS], enjoy your food, your commercials, your cheap American beer, your Beyonce halftime show and hopefully the 60 minutes that actually matter. Today, let’s be proud to be one of a few nations in the world that calls football the game with that weirdly shaped ball made of pigskin.
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