While large portions of America are getting into the Super Bowl spirit, buying chest paint, getting tons of pork rinds, popcorn and pretzels or spending hours setting up complicated betting schemes, I get into the Super Bowl season the way I normally do - by exhibiting utter apathy.
Some people take the Super Bowl rather seriously. They bet, cheer, plan for parties, commiserate when their team is knocked out in the playoffs and riot when their team wins. On the other hand, there are some of us who have no idea what is going on. None of my friends are obsessed with pro-football, so I usually manage to make it right up to the night of the Super Bowl without realizing that it's arriving.
Those who really care about the Super Bowl, unlike myself, spend the regular season and playoffs sitting around on their La-Z-Boys enthusiastically drinking gallons of beer while hoping their team will make it to the all-important Super Bowl Sunday. They love their team, they pour their heart and soul into their team and they weep after frustrating losses. I admire these valiant fans but cannot deal with such emotional intensity myself. I know I certainly do not have enough self-confidence or enthusiasm to paint my chest and face with my team's colors and then show myself to an entire stadium of fans and millions more on TV.
On the other hand, there are people like myself who merely see the Super Bowl as the greatest advertising night of the year. When else would you find such excellent commercials? Apple's famous "1984” - themed commercial, the first commercial to cost over a million dollars to produce, the first to feature a major director (Ridley Scott) in a commercial and the first commercial ever to be an event unto itself, unintentionally began the tradition of Super Bowl commercials, according to an essay by Ted Friedman about the commercial. Thank you, Apple!
Budweiser's fantastic "What are you doing,” hilarious and eventually annoying commercial was also featured on Super Bowl night in 2001.
My personal favorite ever Super Bowl commercial was the insane Budweiser commercial (another great product from the Anheuser-Busch company advertising!) from 2003, when the guy pretended to be Rastafarian by putting a dog on his head and faking an accent. Budweiser traditionally has some of the best commercials to be seen on Super Bowl Sunday, and I'm hoping that they continue that tradition this year. However, I'm not sure they can claim any success with their commercials, as I am an avid fan, and it hasn't had much of an effect on me.
The Super Bowl features the most inventive and funny commercials of the year, as it should. With practically all of America tuning in, ad costs shoot through the roof. During the 2001 Super Bowl, 30 seconds of airtime cost $2 million, not including the costs of producing the ads, according to Superbowl-Info.com.
Sadly, this year, an untimely Bar Mitzvah shattered my blissful ignorance of the onrushing climax of America's football obsession this past weekend. The Bar Mitzvah was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the local football team, the Steelers, were serious contenders to enter the Super Bowl. At least, I think so; my cousin and his family sure made it sound that way.
While I tried to immerse myself in the zillions of cocktail weenies, delicious pastry thingies and chocolate fountain that you could dip things in (but that's a different story entirely), my cousin's family insisted on hanging flags of NFL teams above each table, having Steelers - themed paraphernalia as party favors and even making the dance floor look like a football field! I was rudely and shockingly taken out of my unknowing state about the Super Bowl. Suddenly, the playoff game the next day mattered, and the Steelers had to win.
My lack of awareness had been shattered. The following morning, when I saw the paper and received the tragic news that the Steelers had been defeated by the New England Patriots, I almost cried. I had allowed myself to care, and the only result was that I got hurt. Typical. Now I suppose I'll have to cheer for the Patriots when I go to watch the commercials on Sunday evening along with the rest of America. Although it was extremely short, I will always fondly remember my brief affair with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Basketball season is coming up, you say? Don't you dare tell me the name of one team. I'm tired of having my heart broken.
Alexander Gold. Alex Gold is a CAP Senior. He vastly prefers being at a NFTY event, at Sheridan, or at a workout with Tompkins Karate Association to being at school. While he's there, SCO seems to be an excellent place to devote his energies. Alex someday aspires … More »
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