Monday, February 07, 2011
The Super Bowl's bloated, chaotic spectacle
Salon.com: "Every January, the president gives a State of the Union address, and a few weeks later, network TV follows, quite accidentally, with its own equivalent: the Super Bowl. In a culturally and politically fragmented culture, it's the biggest (and maybe only) remaining example of true broadcasting, a televised event whose appeal cuts across geographical, political and class lines and that a solid majority of the country watches, discusses and (most important) participates in emotionally. And if you look at the entire evening -- the game itself, the play-by-play commentary, the network promos, and most important, the ads -- you get what always seems, with hindsight, like a Rorschach of the country's psychological state, even if it looks like just another bloated and chaotic TV event while you're watching it.
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13 comments:
Despite quite a loaded title and tagline, apparently disparaging the state of American entertainment/culture/society/etc ("toxic", "bloated", "chaotic"), this article seems to celebrate, with an air of nostalgia, the crazy event that is the Super Bowl. Giving a play-by-play, so to speak, of the highlights of the whole evening of programming, and largely minimalizing the game (much like the event, really), the article lovingly recounts a night of unrivaled American-ism. It is truly remarkable that there is one night a year most Americans would say "we can't miss the commercials!" Four straight, uninterrupted hours of television where you truly don't want to miss a minute, and yet, we gather for large parties to experience it together. I particularly agreed with likening the Super Bowl to a State of the Union for American popular culture.
This article touches on a good point I agree with completely - while the Super Bowl is about the teams (especially the Steelers) the Super Bowl gives a close up look of what is going on in America. The ads are the most telling. Of course the ads are combination of companies that can afford the 3 million dollar price tag, but it’s interesting to see who actually spends the money and what their message is about. The ads this year were Doritos, Cars, Bud Light, Movie Trailers, Bud Light, random awkward Detroit commercial, Verizon, and even more Bud Light. Typical for the Super Bowl but some of the commercials were a response to what is happening today. Sorry Detroit but no one sees your cars as "imported".
I like the end of this article; that ad with the clips from old TV shows does oddly represent the Super Bowl as a whole. The TV community suddenly becomes a sports community, and vice versa. Although the cost hasn't gone down, the ads haven't really been all that memorable in a long time. This may actually be a good representation of television today. Since so few people watch television live nowadays, ads are commonly skipped when watching a TV show online or on a DVR. And the halftime show did a good job of representing our over-reliance on technology to make it intriguing (a common problem in theatre as well), and how bad it looks when the technology fails.
I agree with this article. The Super Bowl is much more than just sports; even I was excited to see the Super Bowl, and I care very little for sports. Indeed, the Super Bowl is so much more than sports--it is the commercials, half time show entertainers, etc. It says a lot about american society and how we deal with such large national events. The Super Bowl comes with a lot of expectations, and not just concerning who expects which team to win; people expect the best and most entertaining commercials and people expect a half time show that is just as entertaining. This particular show demonstrated so much how technology has become a huge part in American entertainment. I agree with this article; the Super Bowl is similar to the State of the Union as it shows so much about the country's state at that point in time.
I thought the half time show this year was absolutely horrendous, despite the failed technical elements from mic pickups to and entire letter missing because someone forgot to turn on a 400amp breaker to the attempted circles of green people that look cool until you compare them side by side to the Beijing olympics. A band like the black eyed peas the relies so heavily on auto-tuning should just not perform live. Despite all this catastrophe I like the articles assertion that the super bowl is a cross of sports, politics, drama and comedy. I never looked at it this way but it is true the amount of diverse information and presentation in those 4 hours is remarkable and is good reason for why it becomes such an iconic event.
I agree with what the article is saying. Sure the Superbowl is more about the hype and the flash that surrounds it, but it is a unifying event. People of all ages, races, and and classes watch the Superbowl. They participate in different traditions like pizza and beer, getting together with family and friends, and rooting for the enemy of your team's enemy as your team probably did not make it to the Superbowl. Something to note though: is this our last great broadcast event? It's pretty amazing to be able to unify people in such a way that they become emotionally invested. I hope we don't lose that.
The super-bowl is no doubt one of the "cultural" phenomenon's of the american year. The amount of production invested in it is in the 100's of millions of dollars. the simple measure of how much of the culture and entertainment is in it ranging from sports automotive film television music. its "bloated"and the technical parts of it are dense but you have to ask what it reflects on american culture each year. (from the halftime this year i weep for American's current culture./ but with so much you lose what is important about the superbowl.(the game) the rest just becomes spectacle and with so much of it spectacle you have to wonder if it is all becoming just that spectacle
This article hits it right on the head, the Superbowl is an iconic part of American Pop Culture. There is something in the event for everyone, from the sports, to the commercials, to the good halftime shows (well maybe not this time, sorry black eyed peas), and the patriotism. It is one of the only sporting events that can cause an entire city to riot,like what happened here in Pittsburgh a few years ago. Though I don't follow football closely myself, I always make sure I watch the superbowl. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems that its a psychological need for the majority of Americans to tune in; its an epidemic.
This article states what I've long believed:
The Super Bowl is a cultural event that transcends sports alone. What with the Steelers in the game this year, it certainly held a close place to most of us here, but even with out a team you are passionate about, the Super Bowl has so much relevance, as this article points out, in advertising alone. This is aside from everything else it does.
One of my favorite parts is in fact the ads. I love seeing what advertisers think will rile me up, and what works and doesn't. These commercials tend to be the best of the year, and have high production values. The Oscars of advertising.
I'm pretty sure I watched about 20% of the Superbowl this year. I was running around giving directions, stirring chili, washing dishes, and generally hosting. I did see the terrible half time show and some of the commercials though. What I found this year is that, yes absolutely the Superbowl is when America gets together to pray to all the things they hold sacred. And that I don't really care about any of those things and would rather be eating.
The ideas raised by this article about the ability of the super-bowl to unite people across racial, economic, and geographical divides, seem to ring the truest about the nature of the spectacle. the Artifice of the whole event is not only an accepted part, but rather welcome. it would in fact be missed, if the occasionally chaotic super-bowl hype disappeared. the hitches in this years event were unideal, but the half time show will not be remembered in half a years time, and the unity which we felt, if only briefly, as a nation was well worth it.
You know all of that said... it is amazing to watch a country band together and/or rival over one event, especially in these politically charged and economically difficult times. It is a testament to our country. Though the rest of the world may not understand we do and that is all that matters. I say the rest of the world doesn't understand because of the show, "An Idiot Abroad." They sent him to a college regular season game and he was dumbfounded at the spectacle, size and crowd reactions. Then add on top of that, the television aspect of it and well, we look ridiculous. Not to mention the amount of money spent on the Super Bowl, not only the game itself, but the broadcasting and commercials. We must look like those crazy Americans we are...
Its so true that the Supper Bowl is a nexus for american culture and is much more than a sporting event. I know its something i look forward to every year. And, Kelli is right it gives a look to what is going on in the usa, especially because the commercials are made to what advertising companies think we want or associate to. The supper bowl also brings together many different industries, Theatrical, sports, media, consumer goods, restaurants that cater to parties etc. Its good for the economy
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