The 50th annual American sporting extravaganza, The Super Bowl, had everyone on the edge of their seats as the Denver Broncos were victorious over the Carolina Panthers, beating them 24 points to 10.
Personally, I see no appeal although I am bias in the fact that I am not a sporty person.
Watching a couple hours worth of people running up and down with a ball excites me as much as being put in a padded cell and forced to listen to the complete discography of Miley Cyrus for eternity.
I do not think I’m alone however.
Most of the buzz relating to the Super Bowl, particularly in the UK, surrounds the half-time show rather than the sporting event itself. This time it seems justified.
Headliners Coldplay are a British export and should be celebrated for featuring at such a prestigious American event.
However, I think it was a terrible shame that Coldplay invited their stage to be shared with Beyonce and Bruno Mars, who are icons in their own right.
This completely detracted from the headline act and put Coldplay on the back burner.
Further surprise came in the eccentric package that is Lady Gaga, who sang a pitch-perfect rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
Many were shocked that she could pull off such a good vocal performance. I concur that it was indeed very impressive.
However, all these elements together surely goes to show that the Super Bowl has just become a means in which mega stars can perform to a global audience.
It has been quite clear that the media reported on the actual match itself as much as the musical interludes.
Who is really interested in watching the game?
Further to this, through the duration of the game, as per usual, there were frequent cuts to commercial breaks.
CBS, on which it aired, charged $5 million for a 30 second ad slot during the Super Bowl.
It seems to me as if it is used as a money-making gimmick, rather than an event which should demonstrate great sportsmanship, camaradarie and American spirit.
The football equivalent, the World Cup, whilst having many ad breaks does not have a focus on a massive half-time spectacle. I just don’t believe that it is actually necessary.
By the very fact that the seven most watched American TV broadcasts of all time are in fact a Super Bowl however demonstrates its lasting appeal so as much as I don’t agree with the way in which it’s produced I do understand that my belief is perhaps in a very small minority and it is here to stay.
Categorised under
Opinions american beyonce bruno mars carolina panthers cbs coldplay commercial break denver broncos sport super bowl tvRelated Articles
Cultural Appropriation - the problems that come with it
For many years cultural appropriation has been a problem. However evermore so since celebrities have been accused of appropriating multiple cultures.
Celebrity Big Bother
I too enjoyed being able to see the naïve general public making fools of themselves for the world to see. That was until the barrage of z-list celebrities tumbled through the Big Brother doors, filled with enthusiasm and wasted brain cells.