The obvious answer to this question is the game. Without the game there would be no commercials or halftime show, but that’s a given, so we’ll go a bit deeper.
It may be hard to believe here in SEC country, but the NFL is the most popular sports medium in the nation, and the Super Bowl is the ultimate culmination of almost 25 weeks of football at its highest level.
The commercials are often funny but always over-priced. The halftime show is typically disappointing, outside of any wardrobe malfunctions, though I have to admit I am more than a little excited about The Who. I might actually watch. But no matter what, the commercials and halftime show are nothing more than the type of entertainment you can find on the internet and television everyday.
The game is also entertainment, but it has the one quality that makes sports so popular. People have a rooting interest in the Super Bowl. No one cheers for Taco Bell to come out with the best commercial. No one chants Hail Marys in hopes of The Who outperforming national anthem singer Carrie Underwood (though I feel pretty confident they will outshine Queen Latifah singing America the Beautiful).
I can tell you right now there are New Orleanians and Who Dat faithful who have been praying constantly for a Saints Super Bowl for almost half a century.
And how much does this game mean to the city of New Orleans? It may be an oft repeated story line, but especially in Mississippi we understand what that city and the Coast – nearly all of which are Saints fans – went through after Katrina. Sports have a way of rallying people together that rivals many religions, and the Saints have given a heartbroken area a reason to celebrate.
The buildup to the Super Bowl begins with the NFL draft in April, continues through the summer and fall, reaches it climax in February with the Super Bowl, and when the 32 teams are whittled down to two ,there can be little dispute the best football teams in the world are about to clash.
The commercials will be re-aired over and over, and the halftime show is only half the set list from an actual concert. The Super Bowl is the live – and live only happens once, folks – airing of two of the most talented and well-liked quarterbacks facing off in the biggest sporting event in America this year, and that is why the 100 million plus viewers will be watching.