For each of the past 49 years, millions of Americans have spent one Sunday in February with their eyes glued to their television sets. The Super Bowl is one of the most viewed events in history. “Super Bowl Sunday,” as it has come to be known, is one of the most eventful days of the year in the United States. Whether people are going to the game, attending Super Bowl parties or just staying at home all day, at least half of the country will be somehow participating in making the day what it is. The game has grown to be so overwhelmingly popular that there have been multiple attempts to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday.
Even though most Americans are supposed to work that Monday after the Super Bowl, many of them stay home. According to a 2008 Washington Times survey, 1.5 million were expected to call in sick on “Super Bowl Monday,” and 4.4 million were estimated to have clocked in late. In 2008, employment consultants predicted there would be close to $170 million in lost productivity as well. This is because employees spend the whole day talking about the game and the previous day’s events rather than focusing on their work. While the holiday is probably far fetched, it is fun to think about, especially because the same argument can be made with schools. The majority of students tend to have trouble focusing the Monday after the Super Bowl because they stayed up late to watch the game.
“After a day of exciting, thrilling football, there’s nothing I want to do the next day but sleep and finish homework that I should’ve done over the weekend,” Junior Sagar Desai said.
The game starts typically at 6:30 p.m. after six hours of official pre-game coverage, and can last past 11:00 p.m. Almost an hour of that time will be spent entirely on commercials.
Because of the astronomical viewer ratings, the commercials that run during the Super Bowl have grown to be just as popular as the game itself. Last year, a record 114.4 million viewers tuned in to watch the Patriots beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. According to NBC, only seven shows have ever topped 100 million viewers, and six of them are Super Bowls. Last year’s game topped 120 million viewers at around 9:45 p.m. when the Patriots lead their comeback drive in the fourth quarter, which is the first time any programming has ever gone over 120 million viewers. The most impressive part about this statistic is that it is probably an underestimation, as it doesn’t account for sports bars or viewing parties which means that the viewership is actually significantly higher. Because of this continually growing popularity, prices for commercials during the Super Bowl have skyrocketed. A 30-second advertisement this year will cost five million dollars (an increase from last year’s four and a half million dollars). Because the ads are so expensive and viewership is so high, companies put a lot of time and effort into making their commercials memorable. This has lead to many hilarious ads that America has come to love. Many families will record the game only to watch the commercials, and some even skip through the actual game.
“It’s fun to watch the game with people who are crazy into it but the commercials and halftime show are where it’s at. I’m enjoying all the Doritos commercials you can vote for so far. Also Bruno Mars’ halftime show in 2014 was amazing.” Senior Madeline Walker said.
The Super Bowl is also known for its iconic halftime shows. These halftime performances are unlike any other ones in the world. They last almost half an hour. Significant halftime performances include: Michael Jackson (1993), Aerosmith (2001), U2 (2002), Paul McCartney (2005), The Rolling Stones (2006), Prince (2007), Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2009), Madonna (2012), Beyoncé (2013), and Katy Perry (2015). Last year’s show featured pop-star Katy Perry with her two famous dancing sharks. The performance drew 118.5 million viewers, which was the most in Super Bowl Halftime Show history. This year’s performance by Coldplay is highly anticipated, as this will be the 50th anniversary of the big game. Many Americans will be watching the game, whether it be at home, a restaurant, a friend’s house or virtually anywhere else with a TV. Here is what some Trinity Students have planned for the big game:
