The Allures of the Super Bowl

     Ah yes, the Super Bowl. That crux of American culture. That sport that ends with a day of competition between two opposing football teams that receives more attention than most national holidays. It's that day where people eat processed snacks and drink carbonated beverages as if it's their last meal (In fact, the only day we Americans eat more food is Thanksgiving). Personally, I don't even remotely care about the game -I'm not really a sports fan in general. However, the 80-100 million Americans who do have their eyes glued to the game would probably call me crazy. Going to numerous Super Bowl parties within my life, I’ve seen all the hype and excitement, but I’ve also seen the cultural aspect to this incredibly popular day. Most prominently I’ve seen how people cheer for different teams (which to me is a bizarre phenomenon in and of itself), but I can’t help but notice the craze surrounding Super Bowl commercials as well. Whether you’re a fan or not, you’ve most likely heard of this professional sport we call “football” and the pinnacle of its playing. But what you may not realize is just how much sway this one day has.

     Football, obviously, is a competition between teams. In actual games it’s one team against another, but technically it’s every team for itself. A free for all, if you will, where 32 teams compete for one gilded trophy of (unsurprisingly) a football. As I said, I don’t follow football at all, but I’ll be honest: I consider myself a Bear’s fan. Why? My first thought is that I have no idea. However, after some introspection, I realized that I’m really just loyal to my local. Born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, my dad’s a Bear’s fan –how could I like a different team? Quite frankly, I don’t care enough about the game to support a different team even if I liked them more; however, even if I cared, I don’t think I would change. Am I just lazy? Perhaps I am, but that doesn’t seem to be the reason that most people considered “fans” don’t change teams. Think about it: have you ever changed support from one team to another? Probably not. My guess would be that –like me –you are loyal to your local. Most likely you support the team that your parents support, and you just so happen to live closest to that team’s arena. Football –being a game based off of soldiers and warfare –demonstrates well how humans like to throw on uniforms. From early ages we learn the language of those around us. Sometimes that is literally language, but often its culture –including football. Even though I barely care about the game, still I associate myself with one of the teams. And someone who associates themselves with another team is bound to conflict with me, even if only slightly –just like the people of rival nations. The Super Bowl demonstrates all of this perfectly, when 90 million Americans support one of only two teams –the only day when we cheer for a team that most of us have no loyalty to. I want to be careful being so broad, but maybe –just maybe –we only like football teams because of the aforementioned peer pressure? Having no innate desire to watch football myself, I would definitely say that’s why I watch the game or go to football parties. Maybe it’s the same for you.

     I am not saying football is bad. Sociologically I would say it serves to fulfill an important function for our culture: entertainment. However –and relating to Brandwash’s criticism of advertising –there is something I’m definitely not a fan of when it comes to the Superbowl. That would be the commercials. They are perfect examples of appeals to sex and peer pressure on the American citizen. There have been plenty of controversial commercials throughout the years, but I decided to just take two short commercials, which I think pretty much sum up these rather cruel marketing tactics.

     The Doritos commercial obvious appeals to sex (which is quite funny, considering how fattening Doritos are), and the Bud Lite commercial affirms the conforming pressures of society by establishing that it’s not a good time unless you’re drinking, specifically Bud Lite. In both these situations, marketers are deceitfully using association to lure in consumers. “Buy Doritos. Sure we don’t say anything about their actual taste, but if you buy them, maybe you will be enticed by attractive females!” (And there were even worse commercials I could have chosen) Or perhaps just as badly, “You’re Superbowl party would be much better with Bud Lite beer. Don’t you want everyone to have a good time like us? Let’s not even bother describing its actual flavor, ‘cause here we go!” The marketer's objective is to have us associate their products with the satisfaction of our desires. It’s advertisements like these –which play off of biological needs like sex and the desire to “have a good time”–that leave me disappointed in marketing.  A human being cannot ignore his desires –they are too powerful, and rightly so for our survival. And Scripture consistently tells us time and time again not to indulge in this world. Therefore it seems that marketers should not exploit our innate desires for nothing more than money, and should instead try to sell us with a little more honesty. Especially during the Superbowl, when 90 million Americans -many of them of younger age -see the same commercials, I wish those commercials could be a little more tasteful, at the very least.