CMU School of Drama


Saturday, February 01, 2014

No Fancy Commercials, but Super Bowl is Brought to You by Union Members

www.aflcio.org: Sunday is the first outdoor, cold weather site Super Bowl in the game’s 48-year history. The frigid weather in the weeks leading up to the game and expected temps in the 20s and 30s won't stop the thousands of union members who are bringing you the game. On the scene at MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands or behind the scenes at many facilities in the Metro New York-New Jersey area, union members are making the nation’s national party day possible.

7 comments:

rmarkowi said...

This piece is a nice little tribute to the union workers who work these events, although the Super Bowl is one example of the same group of people working overtime to bring you these events (New Years, 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade...). I think it's nice to mention them, but they are also working, and I believe that people shouldn't expect a huge celebration of them just doing their job (even though that kind of is exactly what "talent" gets all the time). Despite that, there are an immense number of people that go into these productions, and people always forget there is some poor cameraman standing out in the cold filming for you (I've been there).

Philip Rheinheimer said...

I found it really interesting to read about all the unions that are involved although I was hoping to get more details about what some of actual jobs are for the unions involved in the game. The article got a little listy but was interesting none the less. I didn't really expect them to break it down as far as all of the transportation unions that brought the fans but that's just another aspect that I hadn't considered when I was thinking about what unions might be involved. I do agree with Ruben that recognition is nice but shouldn't be expected since they really are just doing their jobs.

simone.zwaren said...

This is a nice article, I always love a shout out to the tech. This article just shows how much these huge events relies on unions, which is is a great thing for our people. Where would we be if the unions were not needed for such HUGE events? They would not have the power they need to be able to fend for themselves and function. So go them! It is not just the people working on the half time show, it is also the players, the reporters, the venders, etc...

Carolyn Mazuca said...

It is interesting to think about actually how many people go into making events like the Super Bowl happen. I feel like most times these people might be easy to look over in all the excitement. I liked that this article listed all the unions involved in the Super Bowl, it helped to break down the estimation of people. However, I do agree with Phillip in that this article got really list. I'm not sure that it was completely necessary to list the transportation unions.

Unknown said...

I found this article to be really interesting because it really makes you appreciate how much hard work goes into putting on massive events. Even though the Super bowl is a sports event, in reality its really just a huge live performance. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of many skilled people we are able to produce events like the super bowl. This article did a very nice job paying respect to all the people involved with making the super bowl a reality. I have to respectfully disagree with Ruben because even though these people are being payed to do a job they still deserve some recognition. If that were not true we would we create programs for live theatre? All in all great article!

Unknown said...

As mentioned by others before me, a great article that touches upon what the average viewer does not necessarily think about or see when attending or watching an event like the Super Bowl. Unlike those commenting before me, I don't think that the recognition that these individuals are getting from this has anything to do with patting them on the back, letting them know that they're doing a good job, or recognition for recognition's sake. I think this has more to do with giving people insight on just what happens at large events like these.

Sabria Trotter said...

I think its great that this article took the time to point how many diverse people it takes to pull together a huge event like this. Most of the jobs listed besides technicians are similar to us in the way that they are not seen unless they mess up; so while I understand the sentiment that you shouldn't get a cookie for doing your job, it is great to acknowledge people for doing their job well.