by isabellaposchmann’19
The Super Bowl: it’s an annual American hallmark in sports. In its purest form, it’s one Sunday in the year when you’re allowed to stay up late on a school night, when social media is flooded with updates from the game. But when the Patriots play a role in this monumental game, it suddenly becomes a lot more important to most New Englanders. It’s a time when even the most casual Patriots fan abruptly whips out their Brady jersey, when classmates harbor grudges over their favorite teams, when every cupcake in Market Basket is festooned with a plastic football on top.
But for a lot of people, football doesn’t really seem like all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, the NFL might have the largest following of any other American sports league. But that doesn’t mean that football’s interesting, or even understandable. Come Sunday night, have found yourself being forced to watch a game you have no interest in, while other people watch it as if their life depended on it. But it doesn’t have to be this way! A sports game is infinitely better when you watch it with a purpose, or at the very least, something to look forward to.
Your interest in the Super Bowl depends on your investment! It’s obvious that you’d enjoy the game a lot more if you have a team to root for. And the two teams that faced off this year both had their pros and cons. The New England Patriots, on one hand, currently hold five Super Bowl titles, as opposed to the Philadelphia Eagles, who had previously held zero. These statistics proved to make a compelling game as the underdogs gradually got the best of the reigning champions.
Another reason you should’ve watched the Super Bowl is that you don’t know what you’re missing! Last year, when the Patriots scored twenty five points in a single quarter, every viewer instantly became absorbed in the dramatic game; whether they were stunned in shock and disbelief, or ecstatic with a newfound hope. However, those who weren’t watching never got to experience that roller coaster of emotions. If you watched this Super Bowl, you would have found yourself engaged in every breathtaking moment of this game, whether it was Zach Ertz’s leaping touchdown or Duron Harmon’s interception.
If nothing else, you should’ve at least watched the Super Bowl eagerly awaiting the commercials and halftime show! The Super Bowl, having garnered over one hundred thirteen million viewers in 2017 alone, is understandably a coveted event for those looking forward to seeing clever advertisements and for advertisors. Each commercial is expected to be original and fun, but commercials in general pale in comparison to the performances of the event. This year, the national anthem was sung by Pink (a meme-worthy moment you might have seen floating around social media was when she spit out a cough drop right before singing, indicative of an illness she was currently fighting) , and “America the Beautiful” was sung by Leslie Odom Jr., much to the delight of “Hamilton” fans across the country. Justin Timberlake performed as the halftime show for the second time, but what really stole the spotlight wasn’t his questionable hunting getup, or the projection of Prince as he sang “I Would Die For You”, a nod to Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis. Nope, it was the “Selfie Kid”, a lucky thirteen-year-old who was able to snag a selfie with the singer, before his awkwardness dealing with a malfunctioning phone grabbed the attention of many meme-makers.
If for some reason, you didn’t tune into Super Bowl LII, I highly encourage you to change your ways next year. It’s an inherently American experience, and one that has the potential to bring great excitement to an otherwise ordinary Sunday evening.
