For more than 100 years, baseball was crowned as America’s favorite pastime, but over time, it seems football has taken over the throne. The NFL’s – National Football League – rise to power came about in the 1920’s around the same time the television began to pop up in American homes. The creation of the TV made games easier and more convenient to watch, boosting football’s popularity.
Compared to baseball’s 162 games in a season, the NFL has the least amount of games than any other major sport in North America at 16 a season. The meager amount of games throughout the year only serve to amplify the excitement for the few times a football game comes on, making every game an event.
For most Americans, every football game is special. Football connects us under our shared longing of seeing our teams win. We celebrate with blown out parties surrounded by family, friend, or foe. We support our teams with all our might, buy jerseys, merchandise, and slather their team colors on us in fervent support.
We debate our favorite players or banter with fans of the opposing teams or jump off seats and scream at the TV as our favorite team falls behind while we hold drinks in hand and consume endless amounts of nachos, pizza, wings, and all other imaginable junk foods.
The Super Bowl, in the simplest terms, is a game that determines the NFL champion. Since the first game in 1967, the Super Bowl has grown tremendously and into its own unofficial holiday in the United States. It is undoubtedly the epitome of sports fever and passion, TV ratings, profits, and entertainment.
Over time, the Super Bowl has evolved into something more than just a couple of football games; it’s an all-out experience. It has brought even the most clueless of people into the world of sports as friends and families gather to watch the game with its famous, millions of dollars commercials and captivating halftime musical numbers.
Two entire weeks full of commotion and buzz about the Super Bowl turn the event into a spectacle as anticipated as the Olympics, a royal wedding, or the Grammys. The super Bowl is bigger than just a game of winner takes all. Whether one supports the Eagles or Patriots isn’t the big picture; it is but only a backdrop for such an event dear to many Americans hearts and generations of families.
The Super Bowl represents a shared experience that is honorably American. Viewers across the country from those in the bleachers to the ones in their living room can partake in a magical bonding experience like no other. Football brings people together as family, it allows us to engage in something bigger than oneself and something to look forward to on bleak days.
