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February 1, 2004
WHAT GAME? Super Bowl is about much more than football
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
"You may be wondering," the smiling lady said, "just exactly what the NFL, Breathe-Right nasal strips and snoring all have in common."
To tell the truth, nobody really was .
The 100 or so people at the promotion to name the NFL's loudest snorer more or less accepted the fact that the marriage among the three was legit. It was, after all, Super Bowl week. Snoring, nasal strips and football together didn't make any more, or less, sense than chips, dip and an ice-cold beer.
In fact, no marketing ploy, publicity stunt or other show of excess surprises many people at the Super Bowl anymore. It is the nation's biggest "unofficial" holiday, an extravaganza of American revelry and indulgence that celebrates not so much football, as America's ability to celebrate.
"You take an event centered on TV, lubricated by beer and junk food, add the gambling element, drop it in a perfect spot on the calendar, and you've got the perfect American holiday," said Bob Thompson, a professor of TV and pop culture at Syracuse University.
Who's playing? Who cares?
Some 137 million people - about half the nation's population - are expected to watch at least six minutes of it on TV. About 86 million will watch much bigger chunks.
Frito-Lay increased corn and potato production by 10 million pounds, about 33 percent more than it goes through during an average week. Americans spent about $2.5 million on canned chili beans last week, double what they would usually spend.
In a somewhat fanciful estimate, one number-crunching company says that corporate America will suffer an $821-million loss in worker productivity because of people standing by the water cooler talking about the game.
But they don't just talk about the game. In fact, they may not talk about the game at all.
It's the Lingerie Bowl (on another network), the halftime show, the premiere of a new season of Survivor when the game is over, and the commercials - if you miss them, you'll simply be left out of the conversation Monday - that make the Super Bowl what it is.
The past 10 years have brought the proliferation of cable channels and the decline of the once-sacrosanct network ratings. Not today, though.
"The rating is pretty much bulletproof," said Sean McManus, the president of CBS Sports.
The matchup, Carolina against New England, barely matters, McManus said. Naturally, CBS would love a close game. But McManus conceded that the difference between a close game and a blowout probably will be the difference in about 3 ratings points - in other words, the difference between one of the 10 most-watched shows in the history of TV and something in the top 40.
Because of the popularity of Survivor, which will air after the game, McManus knew early last week that today would be the highest-producing revenue day in TV history, at about $160 million. Super Bowl ads cost an average of $2.3 million for 30 seconds.
"There is nothing else like the Super Bowl. It's water-cooler, it's an event," said Donna Wolfe of the Universal McCann ad agency.
So when, exactly, did the Super Bowl turn into this?
When did a game that began as something of an exhibition between rival leagues - the first "AFL-NFL Championship Game" between Green Bay and Kansas City didn't even sell out - turn into a cultural phenomenon that brings people together the same way Thanksgiving and Christmas do?
"The ratings for the Super Bowl have been pretty high for a long time," Thompson said. "But I don't know. I'd say somewhere around five or six years ago, the whole thing hit some new cultural plateau, and you can't really judge it by numbers."
Still, some numbers are worth mentioning. By unofficial count, there were 87 "official" NFL parties, events and concerts scheduled for Houston, to say nothing of "unofficial" events and availabilities.
Campbell's Chunky Soup and the "Mama's Boys," a group of NFL players, helped tackle hunger. The Kraft Super Bowl Cook-Off featured Joe Montana and Dan Marino. Levitra sponsored the NFL play of the year at a ceremony emceed by Mike Ditka.
McManus of CBS says he expects a record rating for the postgame show, which will wrap up 12 hours of coverage. The good ratings won't come, however, because people are so hungry for interviews and analysis. Rather, they'll be hanging in there for the premiere of a new season of Survivor.
Ah, that first episode.
It's always important because it gives viewers a chance to meet the players, size up their strengths and weaknesses, handicap the competition and maybe make a prediction. It sounds a lot like the Super Bowl, except in the case of Survivor, more viewers might actually care who wins.