This coming Sunday is no ordinary Sunday: it’s Super Bowl Sunday. At approximately 6.20 Eastern, 3.20 Pacific and some 11.20 Greewich Mean Time in Britain, the Indianapolis Colts will square off against the New Orleans Saints for Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.
It will attract more viewers than President Obama’s inauguration, spark more heated debate than the war in Iraq and practically bring the country to a standstill. But it will pass with barely a murmur in the UK where American Football is still widely seen as a bunch of over-padded men throwing a rugby ball in the wrong direction and stopping every 30 seconds for a snack.
So, to win hearts and minds, here in no particular order, are 44 (or should that be XLIV?) reasons to stay up late this Sunday.
I. You’ll be one of the few if you don’t
This year’s Super Bowl will be broadcast simultaneously in 232 countries and if you believe the greasy PR wheels of the NFL, it attracts a worldwide audience of more than one billion faithful fans. Of course we don’t believe the slick corporate machine, we’re all too British for that and are probably more likely to believe the media types who quote the figure as closer to 100 million. Still it’s more than Coronation Street gets every week isn’t it?
II. The national anthem
As much a part of the Super Bowl as the game itself, the national anthem is a treasured moment in the pre-match build-up. Of course us patriotic Brits won’t be standing up for the proceedings, but even in the cheap seats you’ll still get the chance to tune into this year’s warbler, country singer Carrie Underwood, former squeeze of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
III. The adverts
Since a Ridley Scott directed Apple advert was screened during the 1984 Bowl, the event has become a showcase for high concept advertising, with everything from movie premiers to David Beckham’s stateside debut featured during 30-second slices of advertiser heaven. Some people even tune in just to watch the adverts. A half-minute opportunity to beam consumerism directly into the psyches of the masses doesn’t come cheap, setting advertisers back a cool $3 million.
IV. The half-time show
Since the now infamous nipple-gate saga involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, the half-time show has seemed a little tame, but the Super Bowl attracts only the finest performers with greats such as U2, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and even New Kids on the Block gracing the field of play down the years.
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