The Super Bowl is an unofficial American holiday only because it happens on a Sunday.
For the past three decades, the Super Bowl has become a rating spectacle, statistically surpassing some of the most significant television ratings of all time.
To showcase just how much the Super Bowl has dramatically risen in popularity, all you have to do is look at clear-cut numbers.
No need to get overanalytical here. There are specific numbers that validate this fact.
This year, the average cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad is $5.25 million.
Comparing that to the total cost of a 30-second slot 10 years ago, $3.1 million dollars, showcases not only the astronomical economic development of the sport but the popularity of the game itself.
More significant than the game itself (SUBHEAD)
The cultural relevance of what has become a world spectator sport since the mid-’70s, and perhaps the cost of airing a 30-second commercial, further substantiate this.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Super Bowl is the variety it offers spectators.
Many watch the game for different reasons, and that is what makes this game so intriguing — everyone’s connection to it.
Some watch for the commercials, others watch for the halftime show. For many, it’s a family celebratio. For others it’s the love of the game itself.
Others went out to have a good time, a good dinner at a restaurant or local pub. Several establishments on Kauai offered Super Bowl specials Sunday.
No doubt several local business owners cashed in on this annual celebration, and every year it becomes more relevant to the local entertainment industry.
In doing a piece for TGIFR!DAY last week, it was evident that many places on the island exploited this annual celebration.
Corporations and local establishments have likewise exploited this cultural phenomenon.
It’s hard not to revert to a revolutionary time of industry that may be one of the cornerstones of why the Super Bowl commercials became relevant.
The 1984 Super Bowl is a critical reference point, and is probably one of the catalysts to making the Super Bowl commercials larger than life.
George Orwell wrote the book appropriately titled “1984,” an omninous science-fiction work foreshadowing the
facelessness of futurism.
Perhaps ironically, this was cleverly incorporated in Apple’s 1984 desktop-computer ad campaign.
The Apple computer was one of the first consumer-based desktops available on the market, and eventually changed how we all lived.
If it wasn’t for that cleaver and ominous Super Bowl advertising campaign, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
In today’s global economy, both the popularity of football and its big business aspect continues to become more relevant.
There is no reason to believe the Super Bowl, the NFL, and the business of sports at all levels in general, won’t continue to increase expotentially as the NFL continues to reach the ever-expanding global marketplace.
It is an unofficial holiday that might someday be recognized as an official federal or global holiday.
Whatever happens, the Super Bowl has become a global spectacle bigger than the game itself.
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Jason Blasco, sports reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or jblasco@thegardenisland.com.
