2008 Woodie Awards
Super Bowl becoming a 'super' disappointment
Issue date: 2/10/06 Section: Opinion
The Steelers won Super Bowl XL on Sunday, 21-10, a victory that delighted the massive amount of black and gold fans around the region, making the Super Bowl an extremely enjoyable experience. But, any non-Steeler fan would probably disagree.
And they have good reason. Non-Steelers fans aren't necessarily mad that the Steelers won, they're just disappointed that the Super Bowl has become so over hyped and overanalyzed that it is nearly impossible for the game itself to live up to it.
People who watch the Super Bowl just because it's the Super Bowl now have fewer reasons to get excited about the game. When something is judged at such impossible standards, of course people are going to be disappointed and complain that the game wasn't good and exciting.
Other sports have championship games, and yet the complaints aren't there when a Game 7 of a World Series or an NBA Finals goes bad. Sure it's disappointing for the fans, but those sports are judged on the overall quality of the series, not just one game. Football doesn't have that luxury.
The Super Bowl is not just a football game to many people; it is an event, a reason to have friends over and have a party, no matter if their favorite team's in the game or not. But the party seems to be dampened when event is trying to be careful and not get fined by the FCC, rather than trying to be creative. Some people watch the Super Bowl solely for the commercials, and yet most of the commercials in this year's version were among the least creative and funny ever. And to think, the advertisers only paid a measly $2.5 million for a 30-second spot in this year's game.
That's not all.
The Super Bowl halftime show, which has been going down in quality for a number of years, just continues to become an irrelevant part of the game. That's not what the NFL would like you to believe, since they only had a press conference for the Rolling Stones and hyped their performance for more than a month before the Super Bowl.
Instead of getting musicians who are below the age of 50 and who people under the age of 25 have listened to, we get acts that perform their own classic hits while not providing a good concert. The NFL needs to take a long, hard look at how to make the Super Bowl as big as ever, instead of resting on its successful laurels. Complacency is not something to aim toward.
We at The Rocket feel that the Super Bowl, while being a massive cultural event, is becoming an overrated and underperformed show that leaves viewers with a sour taste in their mouths at the end of the weekend.
And they have good reason. Non-Steelers fans aren't necessarily mad that the Steelers won, they're just disappointed that the Super Bowl has become so over hyped and overanalyzed that it is nearly impossible for the game itself to live up to it.
People who watch the Super Bowl just because it's the Super Bowl now have fewer reasons to get excited about the game. When something is judged at such impossible standards, of course people are going to be disappointed and complain that the game wasn't good and exciting.
Other sports have championship games, and yet the complaints aren't there when a Game 7 of a World Series or an NBA Finals goes bad. Sure it's disappointing for the fans, but those sports are judged on the overall quality of the series, not just one game. Football doesn't have that luxury.
The Super Bowl is not just a football game to many people; it is an event, a reason to have friends over and have a party, no matter if their favorite team's in the game or not. But the party seems to be dampened when event is trying to be careful and not get fined by the FCC, rather than trying to be creative. Some people watch the Super Bowl solely for the commercials, and yet most of the commercials in this year's version were among the least creative and funny ever. And to think, the advertisers only paid a measly $2.5 million for a 30-second spot in this year's game.
That's not all.
The Super Bowl halftime show, which has been going down in quality for a number of years, just continues to become an irrelevant part of the game. That's not what the NFL would like you to believe, since they only had a press conference for the Rolling Stones and hyped their performance for more than a month before the Super Bowl.
Instead of getting musicians who are below the age of 50 and who people under the age of 25 have listened to, we get acts that perform their own classic hits while not providing a good concert. The NFL needs to take a long, hard look at how to make the Super Bowl as big as ever, instead of resting on its successful laurels. Complacency is not something to aim toward.
We at The Rocket feel that the Super Bowl, while being a massive cultural event, is becoming an overrated and underperformed show that leaves viewers with a sour taste in their mouths at the end of the weekend.
