Superbowl and culture
Professor Southworth
VMS 213: Sports, Media, and Culture
2/3/14
Tortilla Chips, Dip, and Beer
Imagine 96.9 million people watching the same thing, ingesting copious amounts of food and beer, and cheering maliciously for a squad that may or may not be their team of choice. I grew up in South Africa where the Super bowl is not nearly as big as it is in the United States. I was naive to the idea of watching any big game besides the World Cup. When I moved to the US I did not know what the Super bowl was. 198 countries watch the Super bowl and it is aired in 25 different languages across the world. I can’t help but think to myself that this is just a game and I don’t really care who wins, even though my surrounding suggested otherwise. I am sitting in a room full of diehard Seahawks fans. All of the furniture has been moved to each wall in the little room so that everyone can see the big flat screen TV. Beers are cracked, chip bags are opened, and we are about to watch the most watched TV program in United States history, the Super Bowl. Bronco’s fans are turned away and the guys roar at them as they try to enter the small apartment. “If you are not supporting the Seahawks you can stand up and get the hell out” one of my friends yelled as non-supporters walked away. Bud Light is the beer of choice in the room and Doritos are the chip of choice. As the game is about to start the room ignites and everyone is immediately fired up. The commercials play through the loud chatter in the apartment and they seem to be unimportant except for a few that are considered memorable. The Super Bowl is a spectacle and there is nothing else like it. The Super Bowl is a large reflection of American culture. Through media, commercials, and the atmosphere that this game creates, patriotism and masculinity are unintentionally the main aspects of this spectacle.
“In celebration of this beautiful country” the room goes silent and America The Beautiful is performed.
VMS 213: Sports, Media, and Culture
2/3/14
Tortilla Chips, Dip, and Beer
Imagine 96.9 million people watching the same thing, ingesting copious amounts of food and beer, and cheering maliciously for a squad that may or may not be their team of choice. I grew up in South Africa where the Super bowl is not nearly as big as it is in the United States. I was naive to the idea of watching any big game besides the World Cup. When I moved to the US I did not know what the Super bowl was. 198 countries watch the Super bowl and it is aired in 25 different languages across the world. I can’t help but think to myself that this is just a game and I don’t really care who wins, even though my surrounding suggested otherwise. I am sitting in a room full of diehard Seahawks fans. All of the furniture has been moved to each wall in the little room so that everyone can see the big flat screen TV. Beers are cracked, chip bags are opened, and we are about to watch the most watched TV program in United States history, the Super Bowl. Bronco’s fans are turned away and the guys roar at them as they try to enter the small apartment. “If you are not supporting the Seahawks you can stand up and get the hell out” one of my friends yelled as non-supporters walked away. Bud Light is the beer of choice in the room and Doritos are the chip of choice. As the game is about to start the room ignites and everyone is immediately fired up. The commercials play through the loud chatter in the apartment and they seem to be unimportant except for a few that are considered memorable. The Super Bowl is a spectacle and there is nothing else like it. The Super Bowl is a large reflection of American culture. Through media, commercials, and the atmosphere that this game creates, patriotism and masculinity are unintentionally the main aspects of this spectacle.
“In celebration of this beautiful country” the room goes silent and America The Beautiful is performed.