The Superbowl

Well, it's this time of the year again. The Super bowl is here, so bring out the chips, dips and wings and let's get this party started!

The Super Bowl is the biggest annual sports event in the USA. It's the finals of the most important American Football competition, the NFL. After the old AFL & NFL leagues merged in the mid Ð''60s, one of the most important conditions for the merger was that the winners of each league's championship game would meet in a contest to determine the "world champion of football." One day Lamar Hunt, architect of the AFL & owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, came across his daughter's Super Ball lying in the garden, and was given inspiration for the name of the championship game. "Why not call our championship game the Super Bowl?" he wondered. After 2 seasons, the fans and media started to use the shorter & unofficial name more frequently then the official name "AFL-NFL World Championship Game". In January 1969, the name "Super Bowl" became official & the 2 previous games were retroactively renamed Super Bowls I & II.

Sports in the USA is religion, and the Super Bowl is the High Mass. A couple of hours after the real churches have closed their doors, the American Football-season reaches it's climax with the Super Bowl. In offices & cafes, trains & barbershops, newspapers & sportsprograms, "the big game" is the main topic for weeks in advance. Two out of five American citizens follow Super Bowl live on television. A majority of football-freaks spends time, working time, on talking about & gambling on the heroic battle, costing the American economy up to 780 million dollar.The Super Bowl has become such an important event in society, that it has taken on the stature of many religions & national holidays, and has become embedded in American family traditions. Weeks in advance, people hosting SuperbowlSunday-parties prepare everything for the big night. A giant table full of chips, guacamole dips, fried chicken wings and punch. But, ofcourse, the table should not be in the line of view, but somewhere in the back, so everyone can still watch the game, even while taking a snack, no one wants to miss out on a single second . Everything is in function of the event, people even save all year to buy a new giant-screen plasma television, only to impress their friends on the most important day of their year. Companies are making huge profits buy selling Super Bowl merchandise, varying from plates, cups, flags and cutlery, to special Super Bowl hotdogs, popcorn and my favourite, nacho hats. Super Bowl parties are usually attended by 10 to 20 people, mainly of the male species and with the obvious love for the game, and the beer. Even Football-haters love the Super Bowl, because it's the perfect day to visit places that are normally crowded on the weekend. There are no lines at Disneyland that day. But that's just a small part of how commercial Super Bowl really is. The game is not only a big deal to the millions of fans, but it's an even bigger deal to companies and advertisers. With an average of 90 million viewers, the event is an outstanding opportunity for companies to promote their products. A 30-second spot during half-time or the pre-game show costs up to 2.5 million dollars.. That's right, 2.5 million dollars. Advertisers pay, because people are watching. And nowadays, many people tune in, solely to watch the commercials. Budweiser beer & dot-com are just 2 of the famous companies that have spent huge amounts of money on high concept or simply extravagantly expensive commercials. Apple Computers even hired director Ridley Scott to ensure the success and originality of their Super Bowl spot in 1984. The event has evolved, or some would say devolved, from the championship game of professional football into a pop culture event.

And the commercials are not the only example of this evolution. Early Super Bowls featured halftime show consisting of marching bands from local colleges or high schools. But as the popularity of the game increased, so did the potential exposure. This has led to a trend where a number of popular singers & musicians have performed during pre-game ceremonies, the halftime show, or even just singing the national anthem. Joss Stone, the Backstreet Boys, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones & Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake are just a few of the celebrities to have performed during the event. And to perform is exactly what Janet & Justin did. On Feb. 1st of 2004 they shocked the entire nation when Justin tore of a piece of Janet's shirt, as part of their act. Unfortunately, a large piece of the shirt came off, exposing a breast and pierced nipple. 100 million people witnessed the incident live on television. It's because of this Ð''Nipplegate' affair